


Snaked

by SkilledWarriorKiwi



Series: MGS meme prompts [2]
Category: Metal Gear
Genre: Alternate History, Alternate Timelines, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Animal Death, Arguing, Awkward Crush, Awkward Romance, Blow Jobs, Brief Fourth Wall Breaking, Canon-Typical Violence, Clones, Consensual Mind Control, Consensual Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Explicit Sexual Content, Fight Sex, Fluff and Angst, Frottage, Grinding, Hand Jobs, Hate Sex, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Torture, Jealousy, Lack of Communication, M/M, Metal Gear Hunting, Mild Gore, Mind Control, Mind Games, Mind Manipulation, Mind Meld, Narcissism, Past Rape/Non-con, Philanthropy, Polyamory, Ripped off quotes everywhere, Rough Kissing, Rough Sex, Scent Kink, Sexual Frustration, Sexual Tension, Sharing a Room, Teasing, Threesome, Twisted and Fluffy Feelings, Verbal Abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-18
Updated: 2016-10-16
Packaged: 2018-05-28 09:17:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 48,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6323689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkilledWarriorKiwi/pseuds/SkilledWarriorKiwi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <a href="http://mgs-kink.dreamwidth.org/757.html?thread=373237#cmt373237">MGS meme prompt.</a>
</p><p>"Solid and Liquid are a team who share everything, including their cute backup." </p><p>There were many things Liquid expected in life. Dying young, getting tortured at different instances, finding elaborate ways to carry out his numerous revenge fantasies with Psycho Mantis at his side as always. However joining a group called 'Philanthropy' dedicated to hunting Metal Gear which mainly consisted of his twin clone and a nervous man who unironically called himself 'Otacon' wasn't on that list.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

There were many things Liquid expected in life. Dying young, getting tortured at different instances, finding elaborate ways to carry out his numerous, elaborate revenge fantasies with his long-term ally Psycho Mantis at his side as always.

However joining a group called 'Philanthropy' dedicated to hunting Metal Gear which consisted of his twin clone and a nervous man who unironically called himself 'Otacon' wasn't on that list. Admittedly it was challenging work and Liquid was never one for obeying the government so sneaking into places so top secret they technically didn't exist and destroying billion dollar bipedal nuclear tanks and blackmailing officials with the evidence was an alluring prospect. However teaming up with his cloned _brother_ was something Liquid never would've guess he would end up doing with his life.

Liquid never really gave much thought to the whereabouts of his twin in his teenage years; after the whole incident with Sahelanthropus he and his only ally stayed in the mainland recuperating for some time before going on a revenge-fueled killing spree through Russia, hunting down all the people involved on the experiments, or the 'University' that Mantis had been imprisoned at. Tracking all the facilities and personnel down and then burning everything to the ground took up quite a bit of time and helped hone their abilities, then after that they switched to hunting down the scientists involved in the Les Enfants Terrible project and Liquid took great delight in killing them in steadily creative ways.

The illusive Para-Medic proved extremely wily however, and they hadn't yet managed to track her down which was an immense frustration even if a part of him greatly relished the hunt. However before they could chase that particular lead further Liquid wound up being captured and tortured after his brief stint in the army while Mantis went completely insane after some incident in the FBI. That whole year seemed like a pain-fueled fever dream and they spent the next few years trying to get a semblance of stability back when they reunited after those two separate instances and Mantis angrily declared he wasn't going to leave Liquid alone after that.

He wasn't arguing, as all the torture and brainwashing seemed to happen the instant they parted ways. Besides, the emptiness in his mind during those instances wasn't something he wanted to repeat. So they put their usual activities on halt and spent the next five years information gathering and covertly hunting down certain problematic groups, all the while trying to put their heads back on straight. Admittedly neither of them were particularly stable to begin with but the five years in each others constant company did help ease some of the more broken aspects of their minds.

Things only started to change drastically when Revolver Ocelot managed to track them down. Or more accurately, Liquid. Mantis kept himself hidden for the exchange even if he watched and listened closely, his distaste for the man seeping through their psychic bond. Liquid shared the sentiment but listened to what Ocelot asked of him which essentially was a bunch of nonsense about taking lead of FOXHOUND. Liquid had quite frankly had enough of humanity and the army in general to last a life time and sent Ocelot off. The man wasn't deterred by his outright refusal and it wasn't until Liquid nearly put a knife through his eye and Mantis managed to set the tails of his coat on fire did the old man take the hint and leave. They gave chase but the man was wily and they finally lost him near the outskirts of the nearby city, but Liquid was content they'd gotten the point across.

Like Liquid was going to believe that man was in any way working against Big Boss's interest; his stint in Mother Base had been years ago but he didn't forget the slavish way the Russian obeyed his father. He'd heard about the whole destructive incident with Zanzibarland and hoped the old fool was burning in hell and regretted he couldn't send Big Boss's right hand man after him. But regardless, he doubted that Ocelot was seeking him out solely to further Big Boss's 'dream'. Frankly Liquid couldn't care less about whatever harebrained scheme his father cooked up and had no interest whatsoever in furthering it, something Mantis agreed with.

They'd been pawns for many forces in their life and they refused to get tangled up in that acidic web again, even if it meant they had to travel with only each other. Honestly, Liquid preferred it in a way as he had absolutely no doubt about Mantis's loyalty and affection towards him and vice versa, even if having the same company for months on end did get fairly bland after a while. Still they were content with their hunting and being free and Liquid was fine with that.

Then his twin brother managed to track him down.

Liquid could easily admit he was immensely curious as to just why his twin was seeking him out- and how his twin even knew about him. Through their numerous rampages and murdering, they'd ransacked dozens of facilities and thus had some fairly extensive knowledge about the Les Enfant Terrible project and the illusive Patriots. As such Liquid was aware his twin clone had been put in foster care while he remained imprisoned until he escaped and wound up in Africa before the Mother Base incident. Despite knowing their shared origins Liquid wasn't interested in hunting down his twin; as far as he was concerned his double was just as much of a pawn of the Patriots and their deluded obsession with Big Boss as he was and thus was content to leave his copy be. However he never once entertained the notion his twin would deliberately seek him out.

At first when Mantis alerted him to the foreign mind slowly approaching their location in a remote area of Brazil he'd thought it was just some civilians from the nearby village; neither he nor Mantis really bothered with killing noncombatants since there was hardly any entertainment or challenge out of it so they mostly let the village alone beyond briefly scouting it out when they first arrived. However this mind, as Mantis reported, was far too ridged and disciplined to simply be one of the hapless inhabitants.

Quickly Liquid checked through their link, momentarily seeing through Mantis's eyes; the newcomer was carefully eyeing the edge of the jungle with a practiced movement, not noticing the intangible psychic shadowing him like a ghost. There was something disconcertingly familiar about the man but neither of them could put a finger on it.

Despite the heavy Brazilian heat the man was dressed in a deep blue sneaking suit and while he was armed his gun was in its holster and his knife was sheathed and from Mantis's light mental skim there were no thoughts of violence in his mind, but a single minded determination to find him.

 _So he is looking for me, hmm? Well well, let's not keep him waiting,_ Liquid commented to Mantis who immediately teleported to his side with a grunt of agreement.

If the man was startled by Liquid abruptly dropping down from the tree branch he'd been balancing on a few yards away he didn't show it, even if a hand instinctively twitched to the holster of his gun. Mantis's hovered closely at the stranger's back and though the man had a gun while Liquid only had a bloodstained machete strapped to his belt he wasn't afraid of loosing the potential fight. However as he opened his mouth to offer a sarcastic greeting he was rendered silent when he made eye contact with the newcomer who tensed.

Liquid sucked in a startled breath, his eyes widening. It was like looking in a mirror beyond a brief palette change; Liquid's skin was darker, his hair gold to the newcomer's brown and eyes green rather than blue. But other than that they had the same nose, same ears, same chin. Same face.

Then his face relaxed into a smile that showed too many teeth and Liquid spoke, voice slightly raspy, _"Brother."_ He had absolutely no doubt this was who the new comer was.

His twin clone twitched but otherwise he didn't display any emotion, simply regarding Liquid with a cool, assessing gaze. Liquid spread his hands out slightly, his smile turning mocking. In contrast to his twin's suit, Liquid was only wearing bloodstained khaki pants and sturdy combat boots. Otherwise he was bare and the humidity of Brazil caused numerous beads of sweat to roll down his naked chest.

"I'm not here to fight," his twin's voice was low and calm even as if to prove his point he slowly raised his hands, carefully keeping them away from his weapons. Liquid eyed him, not foolish enough to get within arms reach. For all his knew his dear 'brother' had reinforcements lurking nearby and was trying to draw him away from the fringe of the jungle and onto the dirt road where it was more open.

 _I can't feel anyone nearby,_ Mantis commented but he still remained intangible, paranoia and curiosity heavily weighing down his end of the psychic link, _Perhaps he is simply here to...talk, or at least stall us. Either way escaping into the jungle would be child's play if it comes to that._

Liquid made a thoughtful noise before saying aloud, "So what should I call you? Or should I stick with brother?" he raised an eyebrow, head tilting to the side. He kept his movements fluid and nonchalant, knowing such arrogance could easily set off aggressiveness but his clone continued to regard him with a calm expression. Military training, undoubtedly. Perhaps even black ops or FOXHOUND. From his appearance and the rumours he'd heard, Liquid would go with the latter.

"You can call me Solid Snake," his twin slowly answered.

Mantis snorted through their link, _Your family is completely ridiculous. Naked. Solid. Liquid. What's next, Gas Snake?_

_Quiet, you._

"So?" Liquid eyed his twin, slowly noting the very subtle differences in their faces, the lack of matching scars, "Have you simply come by for a quick heart to heart, dear brother? Or perhaps you're here to test my mettle, hmm? Made a name for yourself in whatever government you own allegiance to and they sent you to deal with me?"

"I don't owe allegiance to any government," Solid answered bluntly.

"Really? Do tell. From what I hear you were such a good little lapdog regarding Zanzibarland and the death of Big Boss," Liquid's smile was all teeth. He freely admitted he found the news entertaining when he heard Big Boss was killed by one of his own sons. A fitting end in his opinion; Liquid just regretted he wasn't there to witness the old fool's well deserved death.

"I..." his brother paused and his blue eyes grew distant for a brief moment. Mantis instantly alerted him to the other voice on the end of a comms device Solid was using, the psychic still carefully skimming his twin's mind. So he was in contact with someone but Liquid couldn't fault him for it. Either way, he was still very curious as to what his twin, Solid, actually wanted if he wasn't there to kill him on a government's behalf. Liquid wasn't foolish enough to believe he'd slipped under the radar considering their killing sprees go fairly messy at times so he knew there were many places that wanted them both dead.

Solid cleared his throat and tried again, saying gruffly, "I'm here to recruit you."

Liquid blinked and he felt his astonishment mirrored in Mantis's mind before he burst out laughing. Admittedly he wasn't expecting that answer.

His mirth vanished as his brother took a step towards him so with a swift movement he unsheathed his machete and pointed it at his clone, voice still pleasant and calm as he said, "Careful. The blood is still wet on this and I would hate to mess up that fancy suit of yours."

"As I said, I'm not here to fight you," Solid answered, frowning, "I'm here to..."

"Recruit me, so you've said," Liquid said, "And whatever for? I owe my loyalty to no country and I spend my time seeing the sights and meeting new people then killing them, usually in interesting ways. Whatever could your little...group want with me, much less send my own _dear brother_ to seek me out?"

As he spoke Mantis ghosted towards Solid and started carefully circling the man. From the way Solid twitched and his blue eyes briefly flicked to the side he was aware something was wrong but since he couldn't see Mantis he quickly centered his attention back to Liquid.

"We've...my group that is, have been monitoring your activity for some time. From what we gather you are no ally to Big Boss or anything he supported."

Liquid frowned, lowing his machete and strapping it back on his belt, "I've made no secret of that, so what of it?"

Solid began to look incredibly uncomfortable and Liquid was quite positive persuasion and casual conversation was not one of his brother's strong suits, "That's why the group I'm with, Philanthropy, chose to try and seek you out. We wanted to make you an offer, since it seems that we have some of the same interests."

"Philanthropy, is it? The desire to promote the welfare of others. That is quite...interesting. Though I hardly think I look a charity worker."

"It's not that, we're an organization dedicated to a single purpose."

"Honestly, this 'Philanthropy' could've stand to send someone a bit more charismatic," Liquid sighed dramatically.

 _This whole conversation is painful,_ Mantis added and Liquid agreed. Obviously Liquid got all the charisma skills in this instance as trying to get Solid to elaborate was rapidly turning into an annoyance and frankly Liquid was getting tempted to simply start a fight to bypass it all. That, or his clone was simply nervous. Liquid couldn't decide which was worse.

Mantis's snort was audible and Solid jumped to the side, hand flying to the hilt of his knife as his expression became alert and focused.

"I wouldn't stab my companion if I were you," Liquid warned, "Especially if you wish to remain on our good side, brother."

"You haven't even told us what your ridiculous group is about," Mantis snapped, appearing out of thin air with the barest flicker of smoke. The look on Solid's face was immensely amusing and Liquid chuckled. However Solid didn't draw his weapons even as the lanky psychic appeared only a few feet from him, hovering above the ground like a specter.

Solid swallowed but slowly released the handle of his knife, "And you're Psycho Mantis."

Mantis's eyes narrowed behind his gas mask, "And you can read reports. Well done, you've exceeded the expectations I have of an military grunt. Besides, you weren't just with any regiment in the army were you? No, no, you served in FOXHOUND, under Big Boss himself."

"Hmm, so you've gone from Big Boss's tutelage to killing him then joining a peace group. That is quite a resume, brother," Liquid slowly stepped forward from the shady confines of the jungle fringe, walking onto the dirt road, his boots crunching on the hard soil. Solid seemed conflicted on who to center his attention on; his brother or the psychic levitating a few feet from him. Mantis crossed his arms and gave an irritated huff but otherwise didn't break off his staring.

"So _why_ do you want me to join?" Liquid's voice became cold and scornful, "I'm sure you have many little volunteers for your ridiculous little peace organization."

"It's not that," Solid said. Despite his body language still being composed Mantis was picking up his unease and Liquid knew his brother was expecting to be attacked. Still, he wasn't backing down or showing aggression and Liquid was quite amused by it.

"We...there are a lot of different reasons," Solid seemed to decided to ignore Mantis for the time being, carefully stepping around the psychic who glared at him, and approached Liquid. This time he stopped within arms reach but Liquid wasn't letting his casual stance fool him and a part of him was eager to see if he could beat his clone in hand-to-hand combat. But still, he found it baffling his twin went to all the trouble to track him down to a remote village in Brazil simply to invite him to some ridiculous charity organization.

"Philantropy is an anti-Metal Gear organization," Solid said flatly, looking him right in the eye.

Liquid blinked. It had been years but he still hadn't forgotten about Sahelanthropus and the whole incident regarding the giant bipedal nuclear tank. Mantis huffed but from his mental skimming Solid didn't seem to know they'd had contact with one before. Then again Mantis was distracted and couldn't dig into his mind as deeply as he liked but both of them were sidetracked by the new topic. It _did_ explain why a son of Big Boss was with such a group as Liquid doubted typical soldiers could go up against the weapons and live as easily as someone literally grown for combat and warfare.

Liquid snorted in disgust, "So you complain? Go whine to the United Nations, perhaps?"

"No. We track down people developing them, we uncover information and evidence and if we need to, we destroy them."

"And this is what you're asking me to do, to..." Liquid waved a hand, lip quirking, "Help you? Why?"

"Because as I said we've been following you- or at least tracking down reports about you," Solid looked fairly disgruntled, "And my...affiliates agreed you could be an asset. But I'm not going to push it. If you say no, I'll leave and we won't bother you again."

Liquid laughed. His brother really wasn't persuasive at all. Then again, Liquid had little doubt he was as much of an unknown as he found his twin brother. But a job recruitment? Especially over hunting Metal Gear. While Liquid and Mantis spent most of their time traveling they hadn't blinded themselves to the world events and they knew the interest over Metal Gears were still alive and well despite every instance of the machines ending in failure. Liquid fell silent, mulling it over while eyeing his brother. Solid remained still even when Mantis brushed past him and took his usual position at Liquid's side.

Admittedly it was appealing; mostly because he was curious if it actually was a trap or an elaborate ruse to try killing him. However Mantis had to admit that he couldn't detect any falsehoods in Solid's mind, which meant he _was_ telling the truth. Or at least the truth as far as he knew it, so Solid could be a pawn and was being used to track them down and catch them off guard. However Liquid rather wanted to know just what would happen if he said yes; to know if he accepted his brother's offer. Either it was a trap or...something else.

Liquid made up his mind, curious as to what would occur if he went down this path. However he kept silent as he let his companion make up his own mind about the situation.

For a few tense minutes Mantis was silent aside the slow, steady rasp of his breathing, staring at Solid who gazed evenly back at him. Then Mantis shrugged his thin shoulders, saying, _Well it beats running around this sweaty jungle hunting renegades. Besides, even if this is a trap we can just kill everyone and leave which would be entertaining enough. I'm growing bored with this place._

Decision made, Liquid put on his most charming smile and offered his hand to his twin while saying, "It seems we've decided to join this little group of yours."

Solid's blue eyes flicked from his face to his hand before carefully reaching out and grasping Liquid's hand. The material of his suit was slick from the humidity but his grip was strong and Liquid bared his teeth at his clone, "Then let's get moving, _brother._ "

And that was how he and Mantis ended up joining Philanthropy.

* * *

 


	2. Chapter 2

Hal was waiting anxiously in a rundown house at the edges of the city of Santarem, his laptop set up on the rickety table and his fingers rhythmically clacking on the worn keys. Only around fifteen minutes ago he'd gotten the codex call from David and his hands were shaking from excitement and nervousness after getting the confirmation that David had not only located his twin and the psychic but the duo had accepted the offer to join Philanthropy. He wasn't sure what to do so he made some coffee with their meager supplies, checked their equipment again before gravitating back to his computer and, finally, sending a message to Mei Ling. Thankfully she was online and answered to his greeting within seconds. Neither had any fear of their transmission being intercepted due to the deeply encoded message system they used so Hal wasted no time in excitedly telling Mei Ling about the new development.

  
  
Otakon has sent Pinyin a message!   
  
Otakon: Do you have a moment?   
Pinyin: yup, i'm just rewriting some stuff for my next version of the soliton radar but i have to go thru the code lines again and tweak them :/  
Pinyin: could do with a break lol  
Otakon: Okay, so I've got some good news!   
Otakon: Dave just got back to me and apparently our two new potential members agreed to join!   
Pinyin: :o it worked???   
Pinyin: omg that's great :DDD  
Pinyin: i was getting worried you'd end up messaging me with 'david got in a deathfight with his twin and everything is terrible plz send help' or something   
Otakon: No, apparently they accepted and are on their way here now.   
Pinyin: so what's the problem?   
Otakon: Well what am I supposed to do?   
Otakon: I'm just freaking out and you have to admit I nearly screwed things up when me and Natasha met David for the first time.   
Pinyin: oh come on dave said that was endearing   
Otakon: Eurgh I don't know. You know I'm terrible with people.   
Pinyin: dont be so hard on urself :)   
Pinyin: anyway good news is that this liquid fellow is just as much of a merc as dave so he's prob really socially inept like his brother  
Pinyin: so even if ur really awkward he won't really notice  
Otakon: I'm just so nervous now there's going to be two new people with us, one who's Dave's brother.   
Otakon: What if they start fighting??   
Pinyin: um stay far away?   
Pinyin: because if two super soldiers start throwing punches i dont think u can be much help, being a nerd like me.   
Pinyin: or throw some coffee at them or something   
Otakon: I don't think that would help. Anyway my coffee is pretty lukewarm now.   
Otakon: Oh wow, I'm still just...   
Otakon: I'm so nervous.   
Otakon: What if they don't like me?   
Pinyin: srs?   
Otakon: I am! What if they think I'm really annoying or something?   
Pinyin: come on even if they do try to start anything dave will protect u   
Pinyin: anyway we're the ones who were w this plan from the start so we can't back down now!   
Otakon: I know. But still...   
Pinyin: omg hal just relax!   
Pinyin: it can't be anymore awkward than the first time you and dave met- remember when he nearly shot u in zanzibarland when u were a prisoner there?   
Pinyin: then he nearly shot u AGAIN in alaska w nat?  
Otakon: Okay he did not 'nearly' shoot me.   
Pinyin: lol whatever he shoved a gun in ur face, that's close enough.   
Pinyin: but anyway my point is u guys made kinda bad first impressions w each other and now ur friends! :D   
Pinyin: so even if you make a muck up i'm pretty sure these new guys will warm up to you.   
Pinyin: you're a nice guy hal, even if u are a mega nerd   
Otakon: Hey, I could say the same for you!   
Pinyin: nerds unite :D   
Otakon: Oh wait, I've gotta go!   
Otakon: I just heard David pulling up.   
Pinyin: okay good luck! xoxo   
  
Otakon has gone off line! 

 

Quickly snapping shut his laptop Hal snatched up his cup of coffee and gulped down a mouthful of the bitter fluid. His hands began to shake around the cup in equal parts anxiety and apprehension as he heard the jeep switch off outside followed by the low hum of voices.

He was one who decided to go with David to fetch his brother, to hold down the fort while the soldier went to investigate the fringes of the jungle where Liquid had reportedly last been spotted. David hadn't been pleased but was forced to concede Otacon was really the only choice; Natasha was busy with a nuclear weapon abolition committee meeting that would last the entire week and due to Meryl's and Mei Ling's current secret affiliation with the group and current military obligations neither were available. Since Hal was technically still wanted by the American government due to his past affiliation with Zanzibarland- which they seemed to be ignoring he was a prisoner until David destroyed the place and he managed to escape -he was the only real option since everyone did agree that if Liquid _did_ join Philanthropy leaving him alone with David probably wouldn't be a good idea.

Even so it took nearly a month before the whole of Philanthropy agreed to contact David's brother Liquid Snake and his mysterious psychic associate. Meryl and David were the ones who took the longest to agree with the notion while Mei Ling and Hal were for the plan from the get go. Natasha was more neutral, neither for nor against at first and speaking for either side but after the month-long debating she agreed that they needed more skilled soldiers for their group, especially since so many of the places they've tracked down that _were_ entertaining the idea of Metal Gear or in the process of creating one were dangerous and heavily guarded. Having another member- or members in this case -who were able to aid David in these situations would be an immense help and security.

Meryl was against it mostly due to her uncle's connection with FOXHOUND, as the colonel had come forward from retirement and retook his place as commander of the black ops unit after the massive schism Big Boss formed in the group when he left and the following destruction of Zanzibarland. As someone who grew up in a military family Meryl was more familiar with the underhanded tactics of the military and government; while this made her a valuable covert member of Philanthropy it also meant she had access to files and information on Liquid Snake and thus was more wary of the man than most. According to the information she'd passed onto Mei Ling and Otacon, Liquid and his companion, Psycho Mantis, were a fairly destructive and vicious duo. Apparently FOXHOUND had attempted to kill them at one point by sending a group of their best soldiers after them a few years back but that whole unit sent were later found disemboweled and hanging from tree branches via their insides. Similar attempts by other governments to deal with the two were meet with the same grisly end. But because of this Meryl had heard some fairly awful stories of the two and was one of the last to grudgingly agree with the proposal.

David vehemently refused for the longest, citing that Liquid was too dangerous and unpredictable to have around. Natasha, fed up, finally pointed out that's the way she originally felt about him when they decided to contact Solid a few years after the incident at Zanzibarland and how for a moment she'd thought Dave was going to legitimately kill her.

Hal couldn't really disagree, remembering how frightened he was when he and Natasha approached the desolate cabin the legendary Solid Snake, killer of Big Boss, was supposedly living. The trek to the cabin left them cold and exhausted, the thick snow of Alaska clinging to them and soaking into their clothes and making them shiver. Even so Hal couldn't help but admire the sight of the cabin on the top of the hill, surrounded by thick forest with only a snowy path. It'd been night, so the auroras were painting the sky in ribbons of green even as the wind nipped at their exposed skin.

Natasha had barely even raised a hand to knock on the door when it swung open and there was a gun in her face. Hal would've fallen on his ass on the icy porch if it wasn't for Natasha's iron grip on him and he clung to her arm with trembling fingers. Though she stood strong and calm Hal could feel her hand shaking and knew she was as afraid as he was.

Of course Hal now trusted David with his life and regarded him as a close dear friend but his first few encounters with the man hadn't been particularly pleasant. Not to mention his reputation as Solid Snake, the solider who killed his ex-commander, the legendary Big Boss, by burning him to death in Zanzibarland and destroying the half-made Metal Gear dwelling within. That reputation made him seem more like a lethal killing machine than an actual person, something that Hal knew was false after having to live with the man for months on end while they evaded the government and their agents while hunting Metal Gear.

So Hal wouldn't be surprised if this Liquid Snake was the same as Solid- having a vicious, bloodthirsty reputation but actually a nice person who just was put in terrible situations. And that friend of his, Psycho Mantis...if he could even do half the things the reports said then Hal would-

Hal was jarred violently from his thoughts as the door swung open, nearly dropping his cup and spilling some lukewarm coffee on his sleeve. Dave came through the door, body tense and expression shut off but Hal had never seen a sight more welcoming.

"Oh uh, hi Dave!" he greeted, giving his friend a nervous smile.

He winced as Dave shot him a warning look then another voice spoke up, tone deeply amused, " _Dave?_ "

A dark look crossed Dave's face, reminding Hal of how the soldier behaved when they first meet. Cold and aloof, like he was ready for Hal to try killing him in his sleep or to sell him out at a moments notice. Seeing the closed off look sent off alarm bells and Hal gave his friend a bewildered look as the man stalked through the doorway and took up position at his side. Before Hal could question Dave's odd behaviour the newcomer stopped in front of him and Hal was temporarily stunned.

The man was certainly Dave's twin, having the same handsome features and lethal grace to his movements. However his skin was darker, his hair long and golden and while Dave's eyes were blue the newcomers were green. He also wasn't wearing a shirt and Hal couldn't help but stare at his muscular chest which was beaded with sweat and blood stains.

Shoving the fairly inappropriate thoughts from his head Hal took a step forward, offering his hand with a shaky smile and saying, "I'm Hal Emmerich! It's, erm, it's really great that you decided to join us."

Liquid Snake watched him silently with a blank expression before his lips quirked up in amusement. He took Hal's hand and gave it a firm shake, saying, "An _Emmerich._ That is quite a surprise."

The British accent caught him off guard and Liquid's hand was warm and littered with callouses and scars. Quickly Hal jerked his hand back, bumping slightly into Dave's side as he fought down a blush.

"Oh, um, you know my name?" Hal really shouldn't be surprised, for he knew Liquid had survived on his own for years and knowing the movements of enemies or potential threats was key to survival; he'd learned that while on the run with Dave.

Liquid shrugged, shifting his weight on one leg and resting a hand against his hip. Hal tried not to pay attention to how his khaki pants were slung low around said hips but felt he failed due to the sharp gleam of amusement that came into Liquid's green eyes. However the man made no comment on it, instead replying to Hal's question, "I briefly knew your father, you see. Many years back, obviously, when I was but a child on the old Mother Base near Seychelles."

That was like a douse of cold water and Hal froze up, fingers digging into his coffee mug. Beside him Dave lightly touched his elbow and if Hal was paying attention he would've seen the glare on the soldier's face, directed at his grinning twin. However Hal missed it and tentatively asked, "You did? Oh...um...I supposed that's, ah a bit of a-"

With a snort Liquid waved his hand, muscles moving fluidly underneath his bronzed skin, "It doesn't really matter; he was a pathetic man in all the manner of the word. Let us see that you only take after him with appearances, shall we?"

Hal just nodded, completely unsure what to make of the information. He didn't really want to dwell on memories of his father but he was surprised Liquid had known the man at some point, known him enough to form a lingering negative opinion. Still, it wasn't a topic he wanted to linger on. None involving his family were.

"Where's your friend?" David suddenly snapped, still staying close to Hal's side and he was pathetically grateful for Dave's intervention.

Liquid tilted his head to the side, long hair sliding over his shoulder. He seemed far more vibrant than his brother, more theatrical and prominent while Dave was controlled and subtle. However all that took a back seat when the air next to Liquid shimmered and with a twisted warping a tall, skinny man suddenly materialized out of nothing.

Hal let out a squeal, akin to the noise a squeaky toy would make when it was trod on. He couldn't help but stare in absolute awe at the newcomer, mouth agape in amazement even as his coffee mug slipped from his fingers and would've shattered on the floor if not for Dave's quick reflexes. Mantis meanwhile just gave a soft huff and crossed his thin arms, the heavy bar code tattoos on his shoulders stark against his pale skin. The psychic was wearing a black singlet, leather pants, boots and a heavy gas mask tightly secured around his bald head but what really stuck in Hal's mind the most was the fact the lanky man was hovering a few feet above the ground, slowly bobbing up and down.

"Oh wow, oh _wow_ ," Hal's voice was high pitched and he stumbled backwards. Dave grabbed his shoulders and steadied him but Hal barely paid attention, staring in absolute awe at the man- at Psycho Mantis. Hal had read all the reports and information about him but he was fairly sure half of it was just superstitious nonsense but here the man was in the flesh, hovering above the floor as if it was nothing and Hal started shaking, eyes wide behind his glasses even as astonishment and wonder crossed through his mind like a confusing flurry.

"Well?" That was from Liquid and there was a note of annoyance in his voice even if his face wore a smirk, "Aren't you going to say hello to Mantis?"

"I'm rather offended right now," came the sarcastic comment from the psychic, his voice high and scratchy.

"Oh yes, right, I'm sorry, I'm staring, it's just oh wow you're so amazing you're just hovering there, I can't believe it you're-" He was babbling at this point, completely blown away that a man who looked like he'd stepped right of anime was in front of him. If he was capable of flying then that meant all the other abilities Mantis reportedly had- such as telekinesis, telepathy, mind control and partial elemental manipulation were something he could actually do. Oh _wow._

His words just shifted into senseless babbling and an expression of bemusement steadily grew on Liquid's face and a small part of Hal tried to get some control back but he couldn't help it- Mantis was even beyond a giant robot which while otherworldly could be made through conventional means but he was a literal living, breathing anime character.

Firm hands shook his shoulders and a familiar voice spoke in his ear, low and steady, "Hal, _breathe._ You need to calm down."

He nodded, sucking in breaths while still staring at Mantis who stared levelly back. Liquid had an expression of outright amusement on his handsome face and Hal felt embarrassment burn his face red as he slowly got his breathing under control. He kept his back pressed against Dave's chest however, grateful for the soldier's support even if he felt ridiculous he needed it in the first place. Mantis was just so _cool_ he couldn't help it.

Clearing his throat Hal hastened to apologize, "I'm uh, very sorry for that," he said sheepishly to Mantis, breath still quick and unsteady, "It's just...well, I usually go by the name Otacon- it means Otaku Convention because I'm a big fan of anime. And you just, you just really remind me of some of the characters there and Japanimation is one of the main things that got me interested in Metal Gear in the first place, so when I saw you I was a little um, overwhelmed," he finished, flustered.

For a long moment neither of the new members of Philanthropy did anything; Liquid continued to stare at him as if he was a strange new species of bug he found while Mantis just hovered silently in the air. Then a soft huffing noise sounded through the air, turning into a breathy chuckle as Mantis laughed softly.

"Um, anyway we need to head out early tomorrow morning?" Hal said nervously, knowing he was changing the subject but wanting to starve off his mortification for his reaction to the psychic, "Since we've been spending some time trying to track you down and there's some potential scrutiny from the Brazilian government so-"

"Such is the way of things," Liquid interrupted, completely nonchalant, "Regardless, we are quite used to having to evacuate due to meddlesome governments nosing around where they're not wanted."

"Okay? That's, ah, good. There's a spare bedroom down the hall you can use. I'm sorry, it's not anything fancy."

"I've slept in pools of my own blood, in prison cells filled with filth you can't even imagine and once in the gutted carcass of a water buffalo," Liquid said, "I'm fairly sure I can handle a threadbare bed."

Hal felt like a puppet with his continuous nodding and he quickly pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, "Okay. Do you need anything else...?"

"Oh don't mind us," Liquid said breezily, "Mantis and I have _much_ to discuss anyway," with that he strolled past them and further down the hallway with unconscious arrogance. He didn't even think twice about showing his back to Dave and when Hal shot a look at his friend he knew the insulting gesture hadn't gone unnoticed. Carefully he pushed back against Dave's chest and some of the aggression left the soldier's stance as Liquid strolled down the hall and vanished into the room without a backwards glance.

Blinking, Hal stared at the now shut door and turned his attention back to Mantis only to find the psychic had already vanished. He snapped his mouth shut, trying not to feel offended and reminding himself how David had first acted when they had been together. Cold and aloof, that's just how these super soldiers seemed to behave even if Liquid seemed far more...outwardly arrogant and smug than David. Hal wasn't sure and felt a bit mean making such a knee jerk reaction. As for Psycho Mantis, Hal's mind could only come up with excited babbling. 

With drunken movements he stumbled away from Dave's grip and tottered over to his chair and sank into it, trying to ignore the shaking of his hands. With robotic movements he opened his laptop, noticing Dave settle in the seat next to him. He was still wearing his sneaking suit and his posture was painfully stiff like he was expecting to be attacked at a moments notice. A part of Hal wanted to reach out and take Dave's hand in his, but he resisted the impulse. It also didn't escape his notice at how tired Dave was, knowing the man had been gone for three days while tracking his brother's activities while Hal stayed home and worried. As usual.

"You can go get some sleep, you know," Hal said softly.

"I'm not leaving you alone."

Tearing his eyes away from the glowing computer screen Hal looked at Dave with wide eyes, "Do you think they'll hurt us?"

"I don't know; I'm not taking any chances with you though, not around people like Liquid and Mantis," Dave said sternly. Hal knew by the set of his mouth nothing he could say would change Dave's mind and he felt flattered by Dave's protectiveness.

"Okay; anyway, we'll be able to get to know them better tomorrow," Hal smiled, "Then we can start working together. I just...oh wow, did you see Mantis? How he was just floating?"

David's lip twitched, "You're not going to get over him for a while, are you?"

"I can't help it, he's just so cool. He's like a character from _Akira_ or something. I can't wait to tell Mei Ling."

"He's dangerous, is what he is," Dave said seriously, "So make sure your weird anime worship thing doesn't stop you from realizing that."

Hal frowned, "I'm not so blinded by it that I'd risk Philanthropy, Dave. It's just I've never met someone like this and now he's agreed to help us. I'm allowed to gush a little bit."

Dave stared at him with calm blue eyes for a long moment before nodding and getting up from his chair. Hal turned back to his laptop while Dave went into the bare kitchen and he could hear the soldier making himself a cup of coffee. While that happened Hal shifted through his various messages, including one from Mei Ling confirming she'd gotten them a flight from Brazil and to a new location which was a relief; they'd spent too long in Brazil and Hal knew their risk of being caught raised with every day they lingered in one place for too long.

However as he squinted at the screen a dull pressure began to radiate through his brain, like the beginnings of a headache. Hal winced and tried to keep working until the pressure shifted into a dull pain and his vision began to steadily blur as it increased. He wasn't aware he was cradling his head in his hands until Dave touched his shoulder and Hal looked up, vision blurring faintly before the severe pressure within his head abruptly vanished. However the throbbing pain stayed and Hal grimaced.

Dave frowned at him, a cup of coffee in one hand. Hal made grabby hands at it but Dave swatted him away, "You've been working on coffee, fumes and no sleep for the past three days, Emmerich. I also highly doubt you slept well enough while I was away. Time for you to go to bed."

"I'm fine," Hal immediately protested, "I'm just a bit-"

"You're looking like you're about to faint and I bet your earlier fangirling didn't help your stress either. Bed."

Dave's tone shifted from friendly advice to a stern order and Hal shivered faintly before he grudgingly rose from the chair. He would've fallen if Dave hadn't of wrapped a hand around his shoulder and led him to the other bedroom and Hal briefly wondered how long Liquid and Mantis had worked together to the point they didn't think twice about sharing a room. 

He protested sleepily but didn't shove Dave away as the soldier bustled him into bed, his movements smooth and calm even while balancing a coffee mug in one hand. The pulsing in his head and his lack of sleep meant he was barely on the mattress before he was slipping into sleep with the last thing he saw was Dave sitting ridged on the edge of the bed, gun resting against his thigh.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Mantis's breathy laugh.](http://nototacon.tumblr.com/post/141465743872/mantis-dreamy-laugh-from-the-original-mgs1)


	3. Chapter 3

With practiced ease Mantis slowly extracted his mind from the depths of Emmerich's, feeling the scientist's mind shake with exhaustion, excitement and pain. It was an interesting mix and mind to match so he had to resist the urge to dig deeper, however it wouldn't do to continue digging inside his mind as Mantis could accidentally lobotomize the scientist if he wasn't cautious and he doubted the grouchy brunet would appreciate that, even if Liquid seemed extremely interested in fighting his twin. Soldiers.

Still, he couldn't help but gently skim Emmerich's mind once more, following his mental shift from irritation, anxiety then instantly falling into a deep sleep. Grudgingly Mantis withdrew completely from the scientist's mind; he never really like mind reading people who were sleeping, especially if they started dreaming. It was like being twisted up in the dark which transformed into a demented tsunami.

As Mantis withdrew, his mental awareness briefly brushed up against Solid Snake's mind- it was saturated with paranoia and tension, as if numerous threads of fine razor wire were tightly encircling the soldier's mind. Still, with care Mantis would've been able to slip inside and rummage but quite frankly he couldn't be bothered at the moment. That prickly nest would have to be navigated at another time; besides, he'd gotten more than enough from Emmerich in the scientist's pliable sleep deprived state before he passed out.

Liquid was sitting with his back resting against the dingy wall, legs stretched out before him on the tattered mattress. Mantis was currently half sprawled over Liquid's lap, his chin resting on the top of Liquid's head while the soldier had his face pressed against the psychic's throat, nose against his pulse.

A hot puff of air against his jugular, then Liquid's voice emanated through their mental link, _So?_

_Either he has the most powerful psychic shields I have ever encountered or he is being sincere._

_Any other information?_

_Regarding their organization; yes, it truly is one dedicated to locating Metal Gear and destroying them before they are completed or operational and your brother was recruited some time ago, by this Hal person and a blonde woman. Didn't get her name before he fell asleep so I'll try again tomorrow._

_He squealed when he saw you. A genuine squeal. Seems you now have quite the little fan._

_He was still gushing about me before that brother of yours forced him to bed. Otacon. An 'otaku'. I can't believe he was sincere about that as well. And they call me deranged._

_As long as this one doesn't try to reverse engineer lethal parasites I doubt he's as terrible as his father but quite honesty the swooning over you was rather entertaining. He wasn't even speaking English at one point, just squeaky gibberish,_ there was a laugh in Liquid's mental voice and Mantis elbowed him.

_I would try digging deeper since people with sleep deprivation are so pathetically easy to mind read but that twin of yours has already forced him to sleep._

_Hm. Speaking of my brother, he seems quite unhappy with our involvement._

_He was outvoted- interestingly enough this little terrorist club seems to be fairly democratic. Who would've thought._

_Any idea of the numbers this Philanthropy has?_

_There was that blonde woman with short hair and some young Chinese girl- called 'Mei Ling' that he was thinking about before he fell asleep. Might be more, I'm not sure yet. However the group itself seems relatively small and considering their work I would hazard that's why they sought us out._

_Need more muscle power, hmm? That would also further explain my dear brother's apprehension. He's used to being the only one who can handle a fight, surrounded by these hapless scientists._

_I thought you were interested in how this will proceed; seems to me you just want to fight Solid Snake._

_Hmph. So I am slightly curious, what of it? It's not often that I meet someone of my caliber, much less my 'twin' brother. I desire to see if he can match me. It's hardly an unreasonable thought._

_Considering how he's watching over that little Emmerich like some disgruntled guard dog, I think a fight between you two would quickly turn lethal._

_Ah well. I am actually half expecting Solid to try killing us in our sleep. He was quite grouchy before and certainly wasn't stopping his glaring. At least this 'Otacon' was extremely...enthused. Of you at least._

_Me? Pah, he may be blinded by that weird fetishism of 'Japanimation' or whatever the hell he called it but he certainly didn't pause in eyeing you up as well, the gross little ingrate._

_Hypocrite._

Mantis pinched Liquid viciously in the side, causing the man to let out a low hiss while shoving the lanky psychic off his lap. Unperturbed Mantis simply teleported to the end of the mattress and sat down, crossing his long legs as he let out a huff.

Liquid gazed at him with an amused look before leaning back against the wall, crossing his arms behind his head. Mantis meanwhile just rolled his eyes, knowing from the man's thoughts he was mulling over the new information and running through numerous scenarios and situations- most of which involved fighting his 'brother' at some point.

_Fine, stay up and plot. Frankly this mattress may be disgusting but I'm fed up with sleeping in trees and mud, even if you seemed to enjoy it in some perverse way. So I'm going to go to sleep._

And he did just that.

* * *

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mantis lives for drama.

David wasn't particularly pleased with current events, his displeasure growing more and more apparent as a week passed after the recruitment of his cloned twin and his psychic companion.

He didn't sleep the first night those two joined Philanthropy, remaining tense and on guard while ignoring his own pronounced exhaustion. He'd sparely slept when hunting for his brother and his vigil taxed on his final reserves. However he refused to allow his weakness to potentially endanger Hal and kept guard, even if his muscles were all cramped and aching when morning eventually came. Neither Liquid or Mantis tried anything untoward during the first night but David still regarded them as threats; while in the army and later FOXHOUND he'd gotten particularly adept at gauging enemies with a glance and all his instincts were insisting that these two were potentially some of the most dangerous people he'd ever met.

And considering some of the people David had met through his chaotic life, that didn't bode particularly well.

When the sun rose and the warm rays started to seep through the cracked window David woke up Hal, the scientist having drooled over the pillow and his hair a wild rats nest. Some of his lingering anger over the situation lessened as he helped the groggy man up, Otacon murmuring nonsensically to him. Judging by the dopey smile on his face David guessed Hal was saying good morning or the closest approximation he could muster.

Leaving him to wake up David grudgingly holstered his pistol; he doubted those other two would appreciate a gun in the face. Natasha certainly still gave him a lot of ribbing for his brusque greeting of her and Hal in Alaska, even if he felt his response was perfectly reasonable.

Truthfully David had expected either the two to attack them or to leave in the night. He rather hoped that was the case but when he left the room he found the two already awake and in the lounge. Liquid was leaning back against the wall, his blond hair hanging wet and slick around his face. Clearly he'd found the rather junky shower in the bathroom and cleaned himself up, even if he was still wearing his dirty khaki pants and dusty boots. Mantis meanwhile was sitting cross legged on top of the table, long limbs folded up and giving his silhouette far too many sharp angles.

The two stared at him and he had to resist the urge to bare his teeth. For a long minute neither of the three men said a word, the tense silence only broken by Mantis's even, raspy breath.

Then Liquid's face shifted into a smile, the warmth mocking, "Good morning, brother."

"Stop calling me that," David snapped.

"Why ever not?" Innocence had no business whatsoever being in Liquid's voice.

"I'm not your brother."

With insolent ease Liquid pushed away from the table and approached him. David tensed, hands curling into fists as Liquid stopped only a few inches from him, green eyes bright and clear. Dave refused to look away or blink, glaring back at the man and causing Liquid's smile to widened to the point he could see pink gum. The sheer arrogance radiating off the man made David want to punch him.

"Oh, we're all ready to go then?" Otacon's voice suddenly piping up behind him made David twitch violently. He nearly threw the punch on surprised impulse but restrained himself, sucking in a deep breath. Something about Liquid just made him unreasonably high strung.

Liquid just huffed but backed away but Dave could tell from the gleam in his eyes the man wasn't going to let it go. Mantis just continued to stare, his unimpressed gaze not hindered at all by his gas mask.

Otacon meanwhile hovered nervously in the doorway until David grudgingly moved out of the way. Judging by the rather panicked expression on Hal's face he'd picked up on the tension but had no idea on how to handle or defuse it. Liquid meanwhile ignored the glances of the two, instead going back to the table and picking up something before turning back and offering it mutely to Otacon.

David glowered but Liquid just raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, my laptop," Otacon's voice was sheepish while David frowned but made no comment; he knew neither Liquid nor Mantis would've been able to get into the device due to the amount of security on it without the computer shutting down, but he should've know better. He really needed some sleep, especially if he kept making rookie mistakes like this.

Liquid just rolled his eyes, "We didn't touch your toy."

"I didn't say you did," Hal immediately protested, a light blush staining his cheeks. Quickly he snatched the laptop from Liquid's hand, flustered, and all but fled the room.

Then David twitched as Mantis appeared in front of him like a specter, hovering a few feet above the floor. The skinny man cocked his bald head to the side, eyes slitted behind the orange lenses of his mask.

"Paranoia feels good on you," Mantis said softly to him.

David just glared at the psychic, not understanding and quite frankly not _wanting_ to understand his comment. With a soft laugh the Russian vanished in a swirl of black smoke while Liquid laughed.

The half hour was packing up while Liquid and Mantis seemed content to watch them, occasionally voicing unhelpful comments. Dave hated this anxiety and apprehension that was grappling within him- he'd grown used to the easy camaraderie and friendship that'd developed between him and Hal, a sense of security and trust that was now compromised with the appearance of two wild cards. David would never be able to forgive himself if Hal was hurt- or killed -because of his complacency, so he bore it.

Also Meryl, Mei Ling and Natasha would probably murder him.

While Hal didn't want to, they ended up burning the house to the ground. They would not return and typically they never tried to use the same safe house twice. Liquid and Mantis's involvement worsened the situation and they knew the Brazilian government were aware the two were trekking through their country. Better to get rid of any evidence and hopefully slow down their enemies even the slightest bit.

Watching Mantis simply point at the house and have it explode into flames was disturbing and judging by the squeak Otacon let out he was similarly caught off guard. Then they left in the jeep, the tendrils of smoke rising from the burning house and curing up into the cool morning air.

Liquid was content to sit in the back, chin propped up in his hand while Mantis started ranting. Mantis complained a lot about humanity in general, as they both found out. Liquid looked well used to this but by the first hour of nonstop ranting David was already through his second pack of cigarettes and even Hal was looking completely bewildered. David wasn't really fond of other people as a whole and even Otacon confessed to usually preferring machines and technology to people but Mantis's rage-riddled monologues seemed to be something else, just a deep visceral hatred for humanity as a whole.

David, quite frankly, wished he was drunk. Or unconscious. Or perhaps both.

The whole affair of flying to a new location was tedious and by the time they departed Brazil and arrived in Canada he had a splitting headache. Scratch that, he wished he was _very_ drunk.

Though David was loathe to admit it, as the day wore on it became more and more apparently Liquid was immensely charismatic. He easily swayed Otacon, the scientist fairly apprehensive at first but Liquid's charming demeanor quickly caused him to lower his guard. Mantis didn't seem to care either way, preferring to stay invisible or whatever it was, during the plane trip. Liquid seemed to know where the psychic was at all times and David remembered the reports about the odd synchronicity those two held with each other.

Canada at least was isolated and the cabin they'd gotten as a safe house was sturdy so if everything even did take a turn for the worst. Typically he would enjoy the location, with the clean air and wide surrounding forest and adjacent lake but those two put him on edge. It was like having a viper draped around his neck, expecting a venomous bite at any moment. Otacon meanwhile seemed intent on cuddling said viper while being blind to the potential lethal consequences.

Liquid was obnoxious and bright and by the time their first week was coming to a close David was deeply regretting not killing the man in Brazil. The blond seemed intent on needling him, making snide comments and jeering remarks about pretty much everything. David was certain the man simply wanted to pick a fight with him but his abrasive remarks seemed to crawl under David's skin for some reason. Even Mantis wasn't an obnoxious and all the man seemed to do was complain. David wondered if it was because Liquid was his twin, another clone. It was so eerie to look into the man's face and see himself. While the colouring was all wrong the face shape was his, there was no denying it. The last time David had seen someone with features so similar to his own was in Zanzibarland and he had set that person on fire, felt the reeking scent of their burning flesh fill his nostrils as they screamed and died.

So he tried to just ignore the other man while keeping an eye out for any threatening behaviour. Liquid proved obnoxious and, as the week passed, increasingly on edge, but otherwise David couldn't detect any treachery. It was frustrating; a part of him just wanted Liquid to betray them so he could kill the two and go back to the usual status quo. But whereas Liquid seemed to be intent on prying into him, Mantis had a habit of just watching him. The man's breathing, distorted and raspy from his gas mask, usually alerted David that the psychic was in the room but other than that he proved _immensely_ difficult, if not outright impossible, to track.

Mantis's vanishing act always put Dave on alert; his paranoia getting worse as he was now facing an enemy who he couldn't see and was unable to locate through normal means. Even with Liquid he could hear the man before he spotted him if he strained enough, hearing the slide of Liquid's long hair over his shoulders or the way he tended to shift restlessly in place. Otacon had been working on more stealth camouflage but this ability of Mantis's was something else. He'd seen the lanky man float through solid objects and walls without issue and vanish with just a swirl of smoke.

Considering the man had also displayed his ability to manipulate fire via simply pointing at something, Dave was inclined to believe the rest of the reports of Mantis's abilities were also true Including mind reading, but he had absolutely no idea how to protect himself against that. Guns, knives, fists, tanks, explosives, wild animals- those were things David knew how to defend himself from but psychics were something else. Something _unnatural._

Dave just wanted to crawl into a bed and sleep for a year but he doubted that life would allow him to do so, especially with Hal being so careless. He wanted to call up Meryl or Natasha- or at least Meryl, since she'd been against the idea from the start like him. Otacon was too damn nice and naive for his own good and David didn't trust the way Liquid would occasionally watch him, like he was some hapless rabbit that that clone wanted to eat.

Though David was loathe to admit it, jealously kept his mood sour.

He didn't like this upheaval; it took over a month before his relationship with Otacon went anywhere when he first joined Philanthropy. He initially though the idea petty, childish. However Hal refused to let his permissive attitude effect him, instead keeping up the conversation and ignoring Dave's sullen silences. Eventually he couldn't help but warm up to the man; he was too nice, too naive, with a sincere desire to befriend him. David hadn't had a real friend for so long and those he _did_ used to regard as friends he was forced to kill or abandon. Now however he had someone who had seen the ugliness of the world but still believed people were genuinely good, someone who he'd fallen in love with.

And, he was fairly sure, Hal wouldn't have turned down his advances if the small, abortive gestures the scientist would make it him and how he'd stare when he thought David wasn't watching were to say anything.

He never once said anything or pressed it, however. His past love life was terrible, the most recent example easily being past close friend Frank Jaeger and that entire mess met a catastrophic and fiery end in Zanzibarland. But all his previous liaisons had been with other soldiers, people who knew what it was like to kill and maim, who've done horrible things on the battlefield and came out warped. Hal didn't, even when he was prisoner in Zanzibarland. His absolute panic when Dave appeared attested to that, along with the man being reduced to tears when Dave had killed his guards. The scientist's sheer empathy and kindness for others never ceased to amaze the soldier and he didn't want to taint it. Hal deserved better than that, better than him.

Liquid, however, didn't seem to have the same stipulations.

If anything he seemed to enjoy invading Hal's personal space, getting far too close whenever they had a conversation or sitting right up against him. Otacon seemed equal parts flustered and pleased, as if he was reading Liquid's invasive behaviour as some weird attempt at friendship. Dave just wanted to punch his 'brother's' face in and take Hal far way. Instead he just sulked and smoked, anger and jealously making him irritable and short tempered.

Otacon seemed confused and hurt at David shutting him out but Dave didn't want to broadcast his feelings for the scientist; he was fairly sure neither of the new members would hesitate to use them against him. There was a reason why soldiers were warned against developing feelings for their comrades, if not strongly discouraged against ever acting out on them. It make them too much of a target, too much of a weakness. And, quite frankly, David didn't deserve him. It was a bitter truth but he knew it.

However Hal obviously didn't so at the end of their first, tension riddled week in Canada the scientist tracked him down to the edge of the lake where he was going through yet another pack of cigarettes. He hadn't smoked this much since he left Alaska and a part of him wished they'd just left him there to drink himself to death. Dave frowned when he saw the pinched look of deep irritation on Otacon's face however as the man stumbled down the rocky path and stopped in front of him. Despite the lack of snow and mild air Hal was wearing a grey turtle neck and had his arms wrapped around his midriff. He was too damn fragile.

With a sigh David flicked his finished cigarette into the edge of the lake, saying in a bored tone, "What's wrong, Otacon? Have you and Mei Ling been playing League of Legends again?"

"No! Well, I mean yes we have but that's not what I'm here about."

"Then what?" Dave knew he was being unfair to just shut out Hal but he was on edge and felt like he was about to snap.

"It's about this!" Otacon made a frantic gesture at him, "About you sulking! What's wrong?"

David just gave him an incredulous look, "You're seriously asking me this?"

"Because you're acting like grenade is about to go off any second while being all rude."

"Rude."

"Yes! You're being rude. I know the whole situation is probably really weird for you but come on Dave, you're not even trying to get along with either of them" Hal said.

"I still think this is a stupid idea."

"Yeah so you've said, but the point is we've done it," Otacon tried to put a hand on his arm but Dave shifted away, trying not to feel guilty at the hurt look that crossed Hal's face.

"Look you can't just expect me to flip a switch and welcome those two- they're up to something," Dave said, irritated, "And I know you can't see it, since you've never been in there kind of situations but you can't let your guard down. Just because they said they're joining us doesn't mean they aren't spies. Or did you forget that complete fuck up in Italy nearly a year ago? Traitors can be anyone."

"But they can't be _everyone,_ Dave! How do you think I felt when Natasha left me alone with you? You remained all stern and stiff while acting like I was gonna murder you in your sleep or something but then I got to know you and now I know you're a good person- no, don't you try and deny it," Otacon snapped, talking over Dave's scoff, "You were forced to do terrible things in a horrible situation but if you really were a monster you would've killed me and Nat in Alaska. But you didn't. We gave you a chance and you proved yourself a real friend."

Dave grumbled and glared out over the lake. The placid waters were in direct contrast to his churning emotions.

Otacon tried to grab his arm again, "So why can't you give these two a chance? I mean Mantis is fairly, um, out there with his powers and rather anit-social but apparently Liquid used to be in the military like you and he's friendly enough-"

"I actually don't care."

Hal however just set his jaw at his brusque tone and inwardly David groaned; he knew when Otacon got that expression he wasn't going to back down.

"What is your deal with him?" Hal said, exasperated, "I mean, I could understand if he was being really rude and trying to kill you all the time but it seems to me you're taking his comments way too..."

"Way too _what,_ Hal?"

"Well, way too personally. I'm fairly sure he's just ribbing you."

"It's not that," David snapped, irritated, "I just don't like-" _the way he keeps looking at you._ He choked down that last part, clenching his teeth.

"Don't like what?" Otacon pressed, eyes narrowing behind his glasses.

"Drop it, Hal."

"Like _what,_ Dave?"

_"Drop it."_

The words came out in a vicious snarl and Hal flinched back, shocked that David had taken such a tone with him. A tinge of regret and the urge to apologize rose but he squashed it.

"Okay you know what? Fine, be like that," Hal bit out before turning on his heel and storming away. His angry exit was ruined somewhat by him tripping over a rock but it didn't deter him. David watched him go with a sickening feeling in his stomach.

 _Why am I so fucking terrible at this?_ he mentally snarled. First he fell in love with Hal and ruined that and now he potentially ruined his friendship with the man due to his paranoia and jealously towards his cloned brother. With a disgusted noise he started rummaging through his pockets, fishing out another cigarette from the carton.

"Trouble in paradise?" a sly voice said.

"Get stuffed."

"Ho ho, someone is quite riled up," Mantis's jeering voice squirmed its way into his head like a snake, raspy and high pitched while dripping poison.

David glared around, but was unable to locate the psychic, "What do you want? Here to gloat?"

"Oh for- you stupid, meat headed soldiers," Mantis flicked into existence in front of him, arms crossed, "So busy with your childish inane issues."

David just shot him a venomous glare before sticking the cigarette between his teeth and searching his pockets for his lighter. Before he could grab it, Mantis waved a hand and the tip of the cigarette lit up in a small flare of flame.

"Cute trick," he said flatly.

"Hm, ungrateful as well," Mantis said snidely, "You're so ridiculous but quite frankly you're portraying your insecurities so much it's making me nauseous."

"I'm not insecure."

Mantis's laugh was cold and loud and David wanted to pull out his combat knife and stab him. The psychic obviously picked that up for he tsked Dave loudly, floating past him until he was levitating above the calm surface of the lake. His skin was even more pale in the sunlight, stark against his black clothes.

"Don't get me wrong, the paranoia is a nice feel- but you're anguished dithering and deranged reasoning of 'this is for that little man's own good' reasoning is quite frankly making me sick. Also, if we wanted you dead, you would be. But no, I am quite curious as to how this path will run so I am content- besides your atrocious grip on your feelings, which is fairly pathetic in all honesty."

Dave's voice was cold, "Pathetic."

"Yes," Mantis shrugged, unrepentant, "You're acting like some useless, yearning school girl-," the psychic's voice turned even more high pitched and mocking, "- _oh I can't tell him my feelings, it's for his own good, how dare someone else look at him while I pine and whine-_ "

Mantis effortless dodged the bullet, his body flickering two feet to the side like a stuttering hologram. Dave lowered his smoking pistol, the noise of the gun shot swallowed by the vast forest and mountain range around them.

"I see, touchy. Fine, I'll drop it but don't I think I am unaware of what's happening- even if you seem vastly oblivious to the fact that the fool boy would gladly latch onto you if you allowed him," Mantis's voice was heavy with disgust and Dave shot him another glare, "But you're very intent on driving him away. And don't look at me like that; yes we're aware of that little emotional tangled mess going on between you two while you throw your defensive snit. Quite frankly I don't care but this ridiculous pining and wounded warrior crap is giving me a headache."

"What do you even care?" Dave snapped, holstering his pistol, "Liquid doesn't, so why should you?"

Mantis laughed again, though it sounded oddly genuine this time, "Oh please, you and Liquid want the same thing more or less. I guess I do too, in a disgusting way. Pity you're so deep in your rut of self flagellation and pity that you're so foolish you can't seem to notice there's an _easy_ solution. Or three."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

The psychic just snorted before saying in caustic tones, "Use your brain, soldier boy. I know there's one in there. Just stop with this brooding crap before I kill you solely out of embarrassment- and here I thought the legendary Solid Snake was actually mildly competent and didn't act like an emotionally compromised teenager. Guess I was wrong."

With that Mantis vanished and Dave stared at the vacant space, the cigarette dangling from his mouth before he turned away with a disgusted growl. He didn't know what the Russian was hinting at besides general insults but he knew he had to track down and apologize to Otacon; it wasn't fair to take his temper out on the scientist and he couldn't blame him for his naivety, not to mention he _did_ have a point. With a sigh David took a long drag on his smoke then turned away from the lake, slowly starting the trek back to the cabin.

What a mess this was turning into.

* * *

 


	5. Chapter 5

  
  
Otakon has sent RatPatrol a message!   
  
Otakon: Hey.   
RatPatrol: Is something wrong?   
Otakon: Yes. No. I don't know.  
RatPatrol: What is it? Oh hell, don't tell me those two weirdos we picked up are making a mess of things.   
Otakon: No, it's nothing like that- me and Dave had a fight.   
RatPatrol: Okay, that might be worse.   
RatPatrol: What was it about?   
Otakon: Well he's been all surly lately! Honestly, it made me feel like the first week when we recruited him- like talking to a glaring brick wall.   
Otakon: So I went to ask him what's wrong and he pretty much bit my head off.   
RatPatrol: Ah shit, I was thinking this might happen.   
Otakon: What?   
RatPatrol: He's a soldier, Hal.   
RatPatrol: I grew up in that kind of environment- I know how wound up men can get, how stupid they start acting.   
RatPatrol: Solid may be a damn super soldier clone to boot, but he's still a man who was raised up in that environment.   
Otakon: So he's mad because he's from the military.   
Otakon: That's not very helpful Meryl!  
RatPatrol: Hush, you! You can't really understand because you weren't in the military like he was and I am.   
RatPatrol: But seriously you take a man and suddenly jammed him in close quarters with another soldier who's on his level while he has no idea who they are as a person, you get this kind of posturing rubbish.   
RatPatrol: It's like some rampant masculine man crap or something.   
RatPatrol: You being there probably doesn't help matters.   
Otakon: What did I do? I just tried telling Dave to stop taking everything so personally...   
RatPatrol: Oh Hal.   
RatPatrol: Dear sweet precious Hal.   
RatPatrol: You can't just tell men like Solid Snake that.   
Otakon: Why not??   
Otakon: This whole situation is ridiculous!   
Otakon: Dave will barely talk to me, Liquid's being way too nice and Mantis is so cool   
Otakon: I uh mean Mantis lurks a lot. He doesn't actually say a lot. Unless he's ranting.   
RatPatrol: Oh come on, we both know you've had three video chat sessions with Mei gushing about that creepy man.   
Otakon: Okay first off- he is really cool.   
Otakon: Secondly- we're getting off topic.   
RatPatrol: Fine.   
RatPatrol: But I'm being serious, okay? I've grew up with a military family, I'm in the army.   
RatPatrol: I've seen this a lot, so listen to me.   
RatPatrol: Men like Solid don't trust easily, okay? In the military...   
RatPatrol: It's so easy to loose your friends, your family. It does happen and will happen.   
RatPatrol: With Solid it's even worse, since he doesn't even have a um, normal family. He's a clone- and from the sounds of it he was literally bred to be a weapon and so many people treated him like that. Even I treated him like that when we first met.   
RatPatrol: He was in the army, then black ops and finally FOXHOUND.   
RatPatrol: And FOXHOUND is the elite, the best of the best.   
RatPatrol: Solid killed their commander, the legendary Big Boss who was also his father.   
RatPatrol: He doesn't know anything else. His whole life has just been fighting and suffering- even I have a family, friends. A network.   
RatPatrol: For the longest time he didn't even have that, just people using him.  
RatPatrol: Then we came along and we all know Solid had holed himself up in Alaska so he could drink himself to death.  
RatPatrol: Like it or not, you're the first person Solid made a connection to after Zanzibarland where he pretty much lost everything.   
RatPatrol: And now Liquid and Mantis are here; they've pretty much thrown all the level of security and routine in the air and he doesn't know how to react, especially since you have zero army training whatsoever and those two are _really_ dangerous people.   
RatPatrol: Well, they're unlike anyone else we've ever run into.   
RatPatrol: So I think that's why he's acting out- he's on edge and afraid you'll end up hurt, so he's shoving you away and getting defensive because you're befriending the enemies.   
Otakon: He...   
Otakon: They aren't our enemies!   
RatPatrol: In Solid's eyes they are- and in mine too. Just because they haven't tried killing you yet doesn't mean they won't try.   
RatPatrol: I've read the reports Hal and honestly I'm afraid of what these two have done and what they could do- and I think Solid is as well.   
RatPatrol: You're pretty much his best friend and if things go wrong you're the first one in the line of fire.   
RatPatrol: So I think that could be why he's acting so surly lately.   
Otakon: Oh.   
Otakon: Well I just...   
Otakon: He's making it so hard! Why couldn't he tell me that?   
RatPatrol: Hal.   
RatPatrol: Your first week with Solid was essentially him just grunting at you.   
Otakon: Okay, so it was really awkward.   
Otakon: But I thought we were past it!   
Otakon: He's actually so nice and it just...   
Otakon: Urgh!   
Otakon: It hurts, I guess?   
Otakon: To see him go back to that, to go back being so guarded and cut off.   
RatPatrol: Yeah but remember, it isn't because of you.   
Otakon: I know. I just want to help.   
RatPatrol: Don't worry, eventually Solid and Liquid will fight it out and everything will be back to normal.   
Otakon: What?!   
Otakon: That's exactly what I don't want!   
RatPatrol: No, I'm being serious I see this all the time.   
RatPatrol: Men get all ridiculous about this- seriously, all they need to do is fight it out and everything will be better.   
RatPatrol: I've seen it loads of times.   
Otakon: Really? What if they hurt each other?   
RatPatrol: Well they probably will but I doubt they'll actually try and kill each other. It's just a stupid macho man thing.   
RatPatrol: Just try to stay out of their way when that happens, okay?   
Otakon: I guess...   
Otakon: I should also probably go talk to Dave. I was kinda pushy with him earlier...   
RatPatrol: From the sounds of it he was the one being a bother, so maybe you should wait for him to apologize.   
Otakon: He has a point?   
Otakon: I think.   
Otakon: I didn't really think how awkward this must be for him- the last time Dave was near one of his family he had to kill him.   
Otakon: And now Liquid's here and he seems to really like getting in Dave's face.   
Otakon: I shouldn't have pushed it.   
RatPatrol: Well, you couldn't have know. Just try to stay out of it, alright?   
RatPatrol: They're big boys, they'll sort it out. Probably just need to establish a pecking order.   
Otakon: I guess.   
Otakon: Ah.   
Otakon: This whole week has been awkward. I hope it'll get better.   
RatPatrol: Don't beat yourself up too much- you couldn't have know.   
RatPatrol: Anyway, I have to leave you, I have some drills coming up.   
Otakon: Okay. Talk to you later.  
RatPatrol: Oh and Hal?   
Otakon: Yeah?   
RatPatrol: Stay safe.   
Otakon: You too, Meryl.   
  
Otakon has gone offline!  


With a sigh Otacon shut the chat window, feeling tired and upset. While the talk cleared up a few things he still felt so frazzled. He was so out of his depth right now- it had been difficult enough in the first month with David, in trying to get the man to talk to him. He remembered how he'd tried to respect Dave's silence and need for space but after a few weeks it became incredibly apparent Dave wouldn't reach out and it was up to Hal to do so. It had been tedious but having the super soldier slowly open up to him had been worth it, especially when he found out how nice Dave actually was.

With Liquid he was just far more upfront and talkative; Hal got the impression the man was extremely fond of his own voice but a part of Hal had been relieved that speaking to Liquid was far easier than Dave originally was. Liquid just had a habit of making himself the most prominent thing in the room in both actions and words. Because of that, Hal hadn't really given much thought as to how David would take it and he inwardly cursed himself for being so inconsiderate of his friend. Meryl was right; the whole situation between him and his cloned 'brother' probably brought up memories David most likely never wanted to feel again.

To try and take his mind off it Hal left the living room and entered the kitchen; one of the good things about the cabin is that it was well supplied and far less leaky and run down then most of their previous self houses. At least here he could make a coffee that wasn't mostly tar-like sludge; those coffees did leave him with an incredible high but the taste and texture left a lot to be desired.

"Hal?"

Otacon twitched at Dave's voice, glancing over at the doorway where the super soldier was standing awkwardly. He looked uncomfortable and Hal started pouring the hot water into his coffee mug. Despite his talk with Meryl, he still felt upset at David's earlier treatment of him.

"Look I'm..." Dave started but Hal cut him off.

"I'll finish my coffee and we can talk in the lounge, okay?"

He watched Hal for a moment before giving a nod and vanishing back to the lounge. Hal swallowed down the lump in his throat, feeling apprehension skitter up his spine. He was just so awkward with people- if everyone was robots it would make things easier. Stifling a laugh as he imagined a robotic Dave, he finished stirring his coffee and walked back into the living room. Dave was already sitting on the couch opposite the table, looking uneasy. Carefully Hal sat down next to him, blowing softly on his coffee before taking a sip.

For a long while neither spoke until Dave shifted, facing him. Hal just gazed back at him evenly until the other man sighed.

"I'm sorry, alright? I shouldn't have taken my temper out on you- it's not your fault," Dave said quietly, "You were just trying to help."

Otacon's face softened into a smile and he shuffled across the couch until he was against the soldier's side. He carefully nudged Dave with his shoulder while smiling up at him, "Apology accepted."

Dave nudged him back before wrapping a muscular arm around Otacon's shoulder. With a happy sigh Hal pressed himself further into the one-armed hug, taking care not to spill his coffee everywhere. He'd missed this, this easily level of touch and friendship between them. Hal's mood soured somewhat as he thought about their overall situation and his brief chat with Meryl. It'd probably be better to get the whole conversation out of the way, he didn't want this tension between them anymore.

"I had a talk with Meryl," Hal's voice was hesitant and he felt more than saw Dave stiffen next to him, his arm tightening across Hal's shoulders.

"She told me a few things and...I shouldn't have pushed it. I still don't know everything that happened with you but..." he kept his eyes focused on his coffee, staring at the black fluid rather than Dave. He could hear the soldier's calm, even breathing and his body warmth seeped into Hal's side.

Gathering his courage, Hal continued, "I can't really imagine what happened between you and your...um, father. But I didn't really think about how you must be feeling with your brother here."

A deep sigh came from David, "Hal, that isn't why I'm on edge. Yeah, it's a bit weird that he's my twin but it's moreso I hardly know anything about him and the things I have read don't really inspire much comfort, especially with you here."

"Dave..."

"I don't want you to get hurt, Hal," Dave's voice was low. Otacon squirmed slightly against him, still unable to look the soldier in the face even as a rosy blush began to spread across his cheeks.

"These two are dangerous and I know what they're capable of- maybe that will change and I can trust them but at the moment I don't, and I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if my carelessness got you killed. You deserve better than this. Better than me."

Numerous emotions began to churn inside Hal's gut and his face grew hot. David was so _sweet._ All his affection for the man rose up and he pulled his attention away from his coffee mug and up to David's face. The soldier was staring resolutely at the wall, his handsome features blank. Smiling Hal reached up with his spare hand and gently touched his chin; Dave's faint stubble scratched his finger tips and Hal was momentarily distracted with how bright Dave's blue eyes were.

"I don't mind," Hal's voice was soft, "And I care about you. I..." his face burned redder but he forced himself forward, "I want _you,_ " and with that he threw caution into the wind, leaning forward and pressing his lips against David's.

Dave's lips were rough and warm and their noses bumped together awkwardly, knocking Hal's glasses askew. Hal wasn't deterred, instead pressing himself closer to Dave's muscular frame, struggling not to spill his coffee while his other hand pressed against Dave's sternum.

For a long moment Dave was frozen then his arm tightened around Hal's shoulder and he started to reciprocate. Making a surprised noise, Hal melted against the soldier's side as they kissed, his mouth sliding open. Dave bit gently at his lower lip, causing Hal to give a soft grunt at the small jolt of pain before Dave started sucking on it. A large hand tangled itself into his hair and Dave went to drag the smaller man into his lap before a burst of pain across Otacon's wrist caused him to jerk backwards with a yelp.

"Ow!" Hal nearly fell off the couch, hissing as his spilled coffee burned the skin of his hand.

Dave snorted a laugh, blue eyes gleaming, "Really, Hal?"

"Stop laughing! Burning coffee is no joke," he scolded, hopping off the couch and quickly darting back into the kitchen. He collided hard with Liquid, having completely missed the man standing nonchalantly in the door way. His shriek of surprise caused Liquid to raise an eyebrow, completely uncaring to the hot coffee that Hal had just accidentally splashed across his naked chest.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry! I didn't see you, I'm sorry-"

Dave was staring at him in confusion from where he was now standing by the couch and it took Hal a few seconds to realize he'd essentially fallen against Liquid's muscular chest and was still clinging to the man. Said man seemed extremely unperturbed- if not amused -and Hal suddenly wished he could crawl into a hole somewhere and die.

"Oh um, bye!" with that he fled, bolting down the hallway to the beckoning sanctuary of his room.

Just as he slipped inside he heard Liquid's voice commenting, "Quite nervous, isn't he?"

Hal slammed the door shut before he could hear Dave's reply, completely mortified.

* * *

 


	6. Chapter 6

"Quite nervous, isn't he?" Liquid said, absentmindedly running a hand down his chest. The coffee was already drying and quite frankly it was one of the less offensive things Liquid had had thrown on him.

Solid just glared at him and Liquid grinned. He was so defensive, it was far to easy to rile him up. That or Liquid just found it ten times more entertaining to do. _Perhaps a mixture of both,_ he thought.

"Fine- so defensive, brother. But in all honesty that man is flighty beyond reason. I would've guessed being around one such as ourselves for so long would've lessened it considering his fairly notorious career path. Then, his father was much the same."

"Stop comparing him with that man," There was an edge of annoyance to Solid's voice but it lacked the severe hostility it usually held. Liquid's eyes gleamed; seems that moment he'd inadvertently interrupted had at least lessened Solid's anger somewhat. Which was interesting- he hadn't know the little scientist held such sway over his twin even if Mantis wouldn't shut up about it. Interesting indeed. He studied his twin carefully but the man's expression slowly smoothed out, becoming a blank mask that gave nothing away.

"Very well; So why don't we sit and have a nice chat? Get to form this brotherly bond with one another," Liquid couldn't help but tease.

To his surprise instead of storming off or glaring at him Solid simply sighed and sat back down. Liquid raised his eyebrows. Considering his twin's behaviour towards the little scientist and then Mantis earlier, he half expected the man to try shooting him for interrupting. But then again, Solid probably knew to cut his losses; both of them knew that _he_ knew. No point taking the 'high path' and trying to hide it from him. Liquid grinned; it was almost too easy.

Quick as a snake Liquid nimbly jumped over the couch and took a seat, not missing the way Solid's hand twitched to his belt where his gun was holstered. However other than that the soldier bore Liquid's proximity with only an annoyed grunt, even if his body language was all on guard.

He didn't let that phase him in the slightest, instead saying casually, "But I see you were a bit busy with your friend- understandable, I would _hate_ to cause any tension."

"What makes it think that was about you?"

"Oh please, don't insult my intelligence. You've bristled every time I vaguely look in his direction. I was being truthful when I said I wouldn't harm either of you without due cause, especially since Emmerich seems so intent on being friendly. Even if you seem to be stressing that last part particularly hard, brother."

Solid gave him a cold stare, "I haven't tried to kill you either."

"Was that before or after you tried to shoot Mantis?"

"Don't give me that- even if he hadn't of moved out of the way, the shot would've barely grazed him."

"He's grateful, I'm sure."

"I am not," came Mantis's bored voice from the kitchen.

Solid twitched; no doubt hearing Mantis's non-modulated voice had caught him off guard but he didn't try to turn his head back towards the kitchen, instead keeping his attention focused on his twin.

"Do you always pull guns on newcomers?" Liquid's voice was amused; he already knew from Mantis's mental probing that's exactly what his brother had done when he himself was recruited into Philanthropy. Honestly, his brother's people skills needed some polish. Liquid spent nearly all his time after his capture and subsequent desertion from the army on the move, never staying in one place for more than a few days and even he wasn't as socially crippled as Solid.

 _If I have to listen to more of his sullen pining I'm going to lose my fucking mind,_ Mantis added.

_It's only been a week, settle._

_No._

Dave gave a grunt, "Most people who knock on my door aren't friendly. They pretty much pulled that when they made me deal with Zanzibarland."

"Oh the miltary. Such a wondrous organization, so fair and valiant," Liquid rolled his eyes.

"Yeah and didn't you wind up going MIA when you were with the army and never returning even once it was found out you were alive?"

"Well, technically I was captured, tortured and brainwashed for that year and I was actually with the British Special Air Forces before said jaunt that but as you say, they didn't bother searching and wrote me off- fun times that. But needless to say it made me fairly lackluster about that organization as a whole so I...left with some elaborate fanfare and gratuitous vengeance, obviously."

"With Psycho Mantis?"

"Yes."

"Brainwashing isn't something you just bounce back from," Solid said slowly, "From what I've read you were...rather volatile after that. Rooms just found drenched in blood, people horrifically tortured, some even just torn apart, sometimes with teeth-"

"I neither confirm nor deny any accusation of cannibalism," Liquid interrupted loftily.

Solid eyed him for a long moment before continuing, "But you certainly seemed pretty volatile after that from all accounts- and I don't just mean you saw it as personal. It was far too..."

"Animalistic?"

"Yeah."

Liquid wasn't offended; if anything he felt fairly proud of the near frenzied level of violence he and Mantis twisted into following their subsequent sanity breaks. It made it even more apparent how hard they had to claw out some semblance of balance after it. It also made him very aware if not for his psychic connection he probably would've stayed mad. Oh well, food for thought. At the back of his mind he felt Mantis scoff followed by the man teleporting from the kitchen and going outside. He brushed it off, focusing his attention back on his brother.

"I admit we were fairly gratuitous in our violence even if it was well deserved. You've probably felt such a thing, reason completely overwhelmed by bloodlust and sheer fury," Judging by the brief shadow that passed over Solid's eyes Liquid knew he'd stuck a nerve,

"Irregardless, he and I were quite insane after those incidents- I'm sure you've read about my stint in torture and Mantis's mental collapse following his employment in the KGB and later the FBI. So yes, we did go overboard but it was understandable," Liquid waved a hand, smiling faintly as memories rose up.

Liquid still easily remembered the day Mantis came for him in a storm of fire and confused rage. He'd been in his holding room where the Iraqis would typically detain him after they sent him on one of their terrorist missions to re-indoctrinate him. While going through the usual procedure of torture and brainwashing a pain began to radiate through his skull, as if smoldering fire was brewing beneath the bone. A voice grew loud and incoherent, hissing in a language he couldn't understand. Despite it Liquid welcomed the voice, a deep instinctive feeling of trust filling him to the point he ignored his captors even when one smeared a handful of salt against one of the bleeding gashes in his side.

Mantis didn't even seem to know where he was at first, simply tearing through walls and shattering structures like a rabid fox trying to dig for a panicky herd of rabbits from their warrens with no real sense of direction. Still delirious from pain, the pressure in Liquid's head grew to the point he felt his skull was going to burst and his vision grew splattered in black and red as the presence in his brain grew heavier and heavier until a raspy, high pitched voice suddenly spoke deep within his mind.

_Эли._

Their psychic link, dormant for years when they reluctantly parted ways, abruptly snapped back into place. The mental surge nearly knocked him unconscious, delirious as Mantis's own feelings slammed back into his mind. Immediately the psychic swerved towards his location, even as the metal restraints on Liquid's hands and legs shattered.

Without hesitation Liquid threw himself at the nearest soldier, strong teeth sinking into the man's neck and tearing out his jugular in a spray of blood. Mantis went crashing through the adjacent wall, ignoring the panicked screams and bullets. Instead the psychic just hurled one into the wall, breaking the woman's spine with a crack. Liquid killed the nearest soldier he could grab in much the same manner of the first, again just using his teeth. Fire spread rapidly, wild and twisting in time with their erratic melded emotions.

All too soon everyone else was dead and they were the last two standing. Mantis wasn't even wearing his gas mask and Liquid's exhausted mind noted that all his red hair was gone; instead the thick scarring around his skull and face were bare for everyone to see, with his thoughts just as cracked. Liquid didn't bother asking what was wrong- clearly they'd both been broken in some way integral way. Then it was a frenzy of thoughts and feelings, their broken minds merging against each other in an eerie damaged echo to their youth when they first melded together through Sahelanthropus. Now their rage and hatred was even deeper and fed by age and experience, leaving intense disorientation, fury and comfort.

They also ended up having violent sex on the gore splattered floor, surrounded by dismembered corpses and their mouths filled with the coppery tang of blood.

It was one of Liquid's fondest memories, actually.

Across from him Solid was staring in confusion, smoke curling up from the burning end of his cigarette as he clearly wondered what memory had caught Liquid so strongly. Shaking off his nostalgia, Liquid just grinned at his twin.

"Well yes, we were unhinged. But alas, torture does not make a comfortable bedfellow. Gods know I won't try it again if I can help it."

"As long as you don't loose it again," Solid said, tendrils of smoke snaking from his mouth, "You going feral would probably take a lot of bullets."

Liquid arched an eyebrow, "Is that a threat?"

"What? No, it was a-" 

The look Liquid gave his twin obviously conveyed his disbelief in such a satisfactory manner that Solid immediately stopped talking. Honestly, his brother was _terrible_ at reading conversations. It was interesting to witness actually, considering he knew many stories of the 'Legendary' Solid Snake but they didn't mention the brunet's awful social skills. It was getting more and more hilarious and Liquid couldn't help but laugh. 

"You're a dick," Solid said sourly, taking another drag on his cigarette. 

"So I've been told. But irregardless while we're dragging up the past brother, tell me something more _intimate,_ " The words came out as a hiss while Liquid leaned forward, now only a few inches from Solid. A muscle twitched in the brunet's jaw but he otherwise didn't move at his proximity, "Tell me how our father died."

"I burnt him to death, after setting him alight with a lighter and aerosol can," Solid's voice was flat.

"Truly? I'd heard the old fool had died in flames. Such a fitting end, I wish I had been there to see him scream and burn," Liquid's voice turned into a low hiss, eyes gleaming with hate.

Solid seemed neutral to Liquid's sadist reaction, instead sucking down the last of his cigarette and irritably putting out the dregs in the ash tray on the low table. He huffed out more of the sour smelling smoke before pulling out another cigarette from his pockets. Liquid screwed up his nose at the disgusting odour but otherwise didn't comment.

"But it seems you share some kinship with Mantis after all," Liquid said, "Both burning your fathers to death. We can bring that up at supper as something for you two to bond over."

"I would prefer not to," Solid sounded fairly disgusted, fishing out his lighter and bringing it up to the new cigarette dangling from his lips.

"Oh you can't fool me, brother. We're cut of the same cloth, you and I. You may try and hide such urges around that precious little scientist but you enjoy killing people just as much as I do. I've made peace with that many years ago. it's better to simply embrace that part, rather than rage and try to deny it."

David paused then shifted, facing him fully as he said, "That may be but I don't kill people just for the thrill anymore; I used to do that and all that made me feel like was a damn weapon, a rabid dog on a leash to be sicced onto whoever the hell the American government deemed a threat. Now, I don't. I only kill to prevent further crap like Zanzibarland and to protect those I care about, I just don't run around killing everything like I used to, to try killing a purpose into my damn life."

"Please, the battlefield is _entirely_ done in grey; there is no such thing as a sin on there. You know that though, don't you?"

Solid glared but didn't argue with him and Liquid's expression smoothed out. So, that was that then- his twin was fully aware of his urges, his lust for blood but seemed to be restraining himself. Either for this Philanthropy or for the small, kind man he saw kissing his brother earlier. Perhaps even both. Interesting.

Then again Liquid would be a hypocrite if he started lecturing his twin for changing over one person- he certainly changed a lot for Mantis and vice-versa. It just seems their particular transformation was for the worse. Oh well.

Perhaps he should try figuring out just _what_ made that little scientist so interesting.

 

* * *

 

"Oh, um hello? Psycho Mantis?"

Mantis looked up from where he was sprawled outside on one of the wooden benches behind the cabin near the treeline, giving Emmerich a blank stare as the man smiled nervously at him.

He'd felt the scientist's mind nearly ten minutes ago, hovering in the back doorway of the lodge while the anxiety, apprehension and awe created a maelstrom of churning emotions until Emmerich apparently gathered up the courage to actually face him. Mantis knew he was mainly doing it to stop thinking about his mess with the Snake twins earlier but Mantis didn't really care. If anything Emmerich seemed to live in a constant state of low-key nervousness and awkwardness around other people. Mantis understood to an extent- he largely found other people irritating and even Liquid was getting on his nerves lately, the blond's frustration over their stagnant conditions making him ridiculously antsy.

So instead he just grunted, waving a hand nonchalantly and Emmerich very tentatively sat on the opposite end of the bench, taking care not to brush up against the psychic. Mantis was taking up most of the room on the bench, long limbs stretched out, so Emmerich had to sit right on the very edge. However the scientist didn't complain, even as his mind hummed like a hive of excited bees.

The cold Canadian air didn't bother him and it was welcome relief from the stifling Brazilian humidity. Just the rampant sweating alone irritated him beyond belief even if Liquid didn't care. At least Mantis wore a gas mask, so he couldn't smell how awful they reeked. As it was Mantis was still just wearing his leather pants, boots, mask and black singlet whereas Emmerich was wearing a thick turtle neck and jeans. Damn fragile scientists.

"Finally over the sheer awe of me?" said Mantis, voice saturated in sarcasm, even if a part of him greatly enjoyed Emmerich's reverence.

Emmerich had the grace to blush, "I've never met anyone like you before- I can't help but be um, a bit overwhelmed. I'm sorry if it made you uncomfortable."

"No, it's a fitting reaction. I _am_ after all the world's greatest mind reader and psychokineticist," Mantis said smugly.

"So...you can read my every thought?" Emmerich said, eyes wide. There was bewilderment in his mind, along with apprehension and even more awe.

Mantis smiled behind his mask, "Obviously. I thought you lot would research us minimally, before oh so kindly bringing us in."

"Oh we did! But I mean...so much of your...erm, file is so fanciful," Emmerich shifted nervously, adjusting his glasses as he did so, "It seems hard to believe all of it is true like all the mindreading and...fire phantom making or whatever it is."

"Well, the first person I truly mindread was my own father," Mantis said casually, "I killed him shortly afterwards. It sometimes isn't a pleasant experience, being unable to control my telepathy."

"Oh...I'm, ah, sorry."

"Pah, don't be. The man hated me and he would've killed me eventually. Thought I was одержим демонами, possessed by demons, so he did intend to kill me eventually. I simply took preemptive action."

Emmerich shifted, white knuckles digging into the fabric of his jeans, "But still, I'm sorry. You shouldn't of been forced to go through that."

Mantis gave him a sideways glance but while Emmerich's face had paled, his expression held sincerity. The psychic gritted his teeth before snapping, "And what of _your_ late father?"

"What about him?" defensiveness crept into Emmerich's voice even as he squinted at the psychic in confusion.

"Didn't you ever wish to kill him after what he did? I barely remember my little stint on Mother Base but your father was not a very nice man- I hardly believe him being in your proximity lessened his toxic mindset, even if I did grudgingly appreciate his manipulative and underhanded tendencies despite being literally tortured at points because of it. Being around children wouldn't of affected him I feel. Such emotional manipulation around a child- killing him would've been a boon to everyone."

"That's not..." Emmerich's mind flashed with emotions- distaste, anger, fright and overriding it all was a deep, overriding sense of guilt and self-loathing.

"Oh I see," Mantis's laugh was cold, causing the scientist to instinctively hunch in on himself, "Always blaming yourself and not others- despite the fact it's always them harming you, taking advantage of you. Isn't that what happened with your own family?"

Emmerich flinched hard as if he'd been stuck, nearly toppling off the bench and Mantis grinned triumphantly as he knew he'd completely caught the man off guard. Spite was surging deep in him, as well as an overriding hunger to know if this man was truly as selfish as he was trying to portray himself as. Mantis decided to put it to the test, straightening up and sidling closer to the smaller man who tensed as if expecting an attack.

"I don't- I don't want to talk about this!" distress made Emmerich's voice high pitched and for his hands to curl into shaking fists. However the notion of actual violence didn't once enter his mind and Mantis's cold grey eyes narrowed further.

"Why not? You can't lie to me, not with my powers. I know everything about you, Hal Emmerich. Our past suffering at the hands of others define us- realizing and understanding the hate my father held for me introduce me to my powers in the most primal of ways," Mantis said, tone as hard as steel, "Even when they came for me and locked me up in their faceless laboratories I always knew what they were thinking- the same senseless greed and hate, but this time it was override by the urge to covert me. Isn't that what happened to you? The need for those parents of yours- Huey and that woman Julie -to possess you _caused_ the schism within your family, with that women instead choosing to ensnare a child in the most base, animalistic way she could and when that father of yours saw, rather than help you, his own son, he selfishly chose to kill himself but in his prideful despair he also tried to drown that sister of yours. What was her name, Emma wasn't it?"

"Such entitlement towards other human beings," Mantis continued, ignoring Emmerich's visibly growing distress, "To the point one chose to _fuck you_ -" he spat out the word, causing the scientist to flinch violently, "-while the other killed himself out of spite and left you to deal with the consequences. Yet you somehow believe humans are in any way good? How deluded do you have to be?"

Mantis shifted, moving slowly like a stalking predator. Emmerich was shaking badly and his grey eyes were swimming with tears, "I'm no stranger to the horrors humanity inflict on each other- Due to my telepathy I cannot shut it out. All the selfish, greedy and hateful mannerisms and overriding vile urges of humans have been pressing on my mind since I was a child. What people learn in decades I already knew before my tenth birthday. I felt old beyond belief, all because I was privy to every thought. At the end, humanity just bring misery to each other and when I found E- when I found Liquid I knew I would never let myself be a victim to that again, so instead I killed those before they could act on their desires."

His voice a low hiss Mantis carried on, the vicious words pouring from him like a river that had been dammed for too long, "You may try and reason it but in the end those people hurt one another because of they could, because they wanted it for some stupid, selfish reason or another. How many catastrophic actions of humanity have been caused from greed and selfishness? In the end we're still just savage animals, willing to kill and maim and torture because we can and desire it. True, I enjoy killing people- I make no lie of that and everyone I've come across deserve to die in their own way. Yet you somehow claim we're 'better' than that, as if humanity as a whole isn't just a giant twisted heap of misery despite having been touched by the disgusting behaviour of humanity yourself."

Shaking Emmerich finally met his glare, tears staining his cheeks and ringing his eyes red. His voice shook badly as he spoke, "I..I think that just because we suffer we shouldn't try to make it worse. So even though all those-" his voice shuddered before he continued, "Even those horrible things happened to me I don't think hurting those who hurt me would achieve anything."

"Truly? You can't expect me to believe you never once wished to inflict pain on those who abused you," Mantis scoffed.

Emmerich looked distressed at the suggestion, staring at him with wide eyes as he protested, "Of course I didn't! They may have done, um, terrible things but that doesn't mean I wanted to see them hurt or die."

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard- humans are naturally predisposed to inflict pain on each other, this is even more prevalent if those hurt us first. Humans kill one another for numerous petty reasons- either simply wanting to or as a comeuppance. Revenge and hatred are integral parts of humanity and we all get embroiled in it. Better to kill those to prevent them from hurting you again."

"That's-" Emmerich looked badly upset but nonetheless met Mantis's glare with his own tear-stained one, "I don't agree with that, at all."

"I burnt him to death, you know. My father. I watched him scream as the flesh melted off his bones and boiled his organs," Mantis leaned forward, eyes narrowed. Emmerich looked fairly nauseous, but didn't protest. His stare reminded Mantis of a hunted deer- held in place by fear even while staring at him with wide watery eyes.

Scowling Mantis probed the scientist's mind, convinced the whole thing was just an elaborate farce. Instead all he felt was sincerity, pain, regret, along with an overwhelming genuine desire to comfort him. Confused he dug deeper, deep enough he felt Emmerich's body start to spasm in pain but found no falsehood whatsoever in his emotions. The man truly felt clean empathy for him. For both of them. His sympathy even extended to those who'd harmed them. He really didn't want to hurt anyone, regardless of their crimes.

Mantis didn't like it one bit.

With a sharp hiss he jolted forward, the muzzle of his gas mask nearly hitting Emmerich's nose. The scientist flinched back at his proximity, making an aborted attempt to move away from him; Mantis immediately seized him with his telekinesis, his psychics freezing the small man. Through his unbreakable grip Mantis could feel how fast Emmerich's heart was hammering, along with the heavy spike of panic.

At the back of his mind Mantis was aware of a surge of confusion and concern from Liquid through their mental link; however he just replied with a wordless blast of anger and frustration then slammed his mental walls up to lock Liquid out, his ire focusing back on Emmerich.

"You think you can sway me with such feeble attempts at camaraderie? Is this your attempt at somehow befriending me with a pathetic tale of woe? You think you know _anything_ about me just because you've read some files and decided to come share childhood stories of abuse? You can't honesty expect me to believe you refuse to entertain the notion of revenge, to force those whose harmed you through the same abuse they inflicted on you, to kill them and make them pay."

He was near throttling the man with his powers at this point and air around him began to waver like a mirage as the surrounding temperature skyrocketed. The faint fiery shape of phantoms began to furl around the air around them and Mantis struggled to contain his boiling rage.

"No! I don't want anyone to go through that! I don't want anyone to feel how I did," Emmerich protested.

For a long tense moment Mantis stared at the frightened man, his powers barely held in check. Despite Mantis's threatening behaviour Emmerich still didn't try to violently defend himself. Instead a feeling of deep sorrow and empathy rose up from the man. Snarling Mantis released Emmerich and he immediately fell over onto the ground, tears still streaming down his cheeks. With a loud disgusted scoff Mantis got up, stalking in front of Emmerich who remained slumped in the grass.

With a vicious snarl Mantis vanished in a swirl of smoke as the scientist stayed on the ground and cried.

 

* * *

 

With jerky movements Hal took off his glasses, placing them on the kitchen bench and picking up a tea towel. He felt oddly disjointed and tired as he turned on the tap and soaked the cloth in cold water, before switching it off and slowly wringing out the fabric.

Hal gingerly began to dab at his face with the wet tea towel, wincing as he touched the sensitive skin around his eyes. Though there was no mirror in the kitchen, Hal knew he must look like a mess; he always was an ugly crier, face becoming red and blotchy as his eyes became heavily bloodshot.

He still couldn't believe he'd managed to enrage Psycho Mantis so badly and Hal's chest and throat still hurt through the psychic grip the Russian seized him in. It also made it very apparent Psycho Mantis could've killed him, but just snarled at him before leaving. He'd been manhandled before- Dave did it when he first met him in Zanzibarland and in the first week together the man had no qualms about roughly shoving him around. But Psycho Mantis's grip felt even worse, like invisible massive iron bands were wrapped around his body. An inescapable grip and one with no visible escape.

 _It was my fault,_ Hal thought tiredly, _I should know better than to bring up the past. I thought I learned with Dave but I guess not..._

Nausea swelled in his gut and Hal gripped the edge of the sink as bile rose thickly in his throat. He hadn't been forced to hear all his sins laid out so directly for years; even Dave never once asked him about it but he apparently stood on a landmine with Psycho Mantis, who had absolutely no qualms about rubbing his nose in it.

He'd read about Psycho Mantis's fabled mindreading abilities but he never once fathomed just how much the man would learn from him in a week; all those horrendous past mistakes of his were dragged up out in the open and hurled in his face when he made the mistake of asking Psycho Mantis about his past. 

Hal frowned, swallowing down the lingering sensation of sickness and bile while picking up the tea towel again. The more he thought about it, it moreso seemed like Psycho Mantis took severe issue with Hal expression any kind of sympathy whatsoever to the things that had been done to him. That was when the psychic went intensely personal and flew into his rage fueled rant against humanity while targeting Hal personally.

 _What a terrible life he must of lead,_ Hal frowned sadly, swallowing thickly around the sour lump in his throat, _To truly believe all those things he said. And to get so angry when someone insisted otherwise._

A distressed moan escaped his throat and Hal carefully cleaned the rest of his face, eyes feeling as if they'd been stuffed with sand. He'd need to find a way to apologize to Psycho Mantis without having the man assume he was pitying him; maybe he should try asking Liquid for help, since he'd been friends with the Russian for decades by all account. Supposedly.

"Ah, there you are," a calm, British accented voice spoke quietly and Hal stiffed, the wet cloth still pressed against his face. 

_Speak of the Devil._

"Oh, um, hello Liquid," Hal quickly put the cloth down, hunching his shoulders, "I'm sorry, I'll get out of your-"

A strong hand gripped his shoulder and pulled him around, Disorientated Hal squinted up at Liquid's handsome face. The soldier frowned, fingers carefully tugging down the throat of his turtle neck, touching the sore skin underneath and Hal couldn't help but wince.

"Hm, he did a number on you I see," Liquid murmured, "You'll have bruising, but nothing serious."

Hal averted his eyes, "I don't really mind. I've gotten bruised a lot of times and he didn't kill me. I thought he was going to, I admit..." even as he said that Hal winced; he shouldn't really be talking ill about Liquid's companion.

Liquid just hummed, fingers still lightly brushing the sensitive skin of Hal's throat and making him shiver. He was finding it difficult to focus; his earlier crying bout had left him exhausted and now Liquid was right in his personal space, his presence and smell saturating Hal's senses. With a sigh he leaned slightly into Liquid's comforting touch, the man easily taking his weight.

"I think..." Hal paused before saying slowly, "I think I got Mantis angry with me."

Liquid just grinned, "You frustrate him, is all. It's very rare we ever come across someone...like you. He simply became irate when you wouldn't bend."

Hal frowned, eyes becoming half lidded as Liquid continued running his fingers back and forth across his throat, his other hand still lightly gripping Hal's shoulder. Hal could hear the psychic's harsh words snarling at him and he swallowed thickly, tears building in his eyes again. He wanted to shield away from the man and find Dave. It wasn't fair to lump all this on Liquid and Dave was well used to his many bouts of crying. 

"Where's...where's Dave?" Hal asked, voice small.

"He went out back, something about wanting to see if he could catch any fish," Liquid rolled his eyes, "I suppose he needs something to brood on; he and I had a chat about our father."

"Oh..."

"No matter, I see it went less volatile than your conversation with Mantis; I knew you'd enraged him particularly bad when he locked me out."

"I'm sorry..."

He laughed, "Really? There is no need to be- he and I have quarreled plenty of times. He'll settle down eventually. Just don't expect an apology from him."

Hal swallowed, bloodshot eyes seeking out Liquid's clear green ones, "It's fine. I shouldn't have pushed. Or at least left him alone when he started getting angry at me."

A beat of silence then Liquid's fingers slid up to his chin, tipping Hal's head back. He stared in confusion even as Liquid studied his face intently for a moment before smiling, "He attacked you after shoving all your grotesque past in your face while insisting your kindness was wrong, and you believe you have a part in his reaction."

Hal tried to look away but Liquid's green eyes were bright with something akin to excitement, ensnaring him like the stare of a snake, "I shouldn't pry at all. I shouldn't try to act like I understood or tried and...and make him think he should forgive people. It's just...," his voice trailed off into a strangled noise and a few more tears slipped from his puffy eyes.

With a soft noise Liquid carefully brushed the tears away with his calloused finger tips, saying "Even when he was strangling you and shouting, you didn't want to harm him."

"I shouldn't have provoked him like that...anyway, he wouldn't have killed me. Hurt me, perhaps but..."

Liquid laughed again, "See? Even after he attacked you, you still insist you were in the wrong or attempt to share the blame. You're very selfless. Or foolish, can't decide which yet. Perhaps time will tell."

"Well I was- I shouldn't have brought all that up at all. I can't pretend to understand what you've all been through. It was stupid, and I don't know him long enough to presume that much."

"Ha! Still doing it, I see. Little wonder he got so irate. He...has a very ironclad set view of humanity," Liquid said, "One that has held true for him- for us -for years. You...shake that up a bit, hence his zealous reaction."

"Still I-"

"Stop."

Liquid's voice became stern and his eyes intent. Hal stared at him, the same commanding air that occasionally surrounded Dave now emanated from Liquid and Hal was hapless to disobey, freezing in his grip.

"So kind..." there was an odd note in Liquid's voice, a tinge of amusement and something else that completely went over Hal's head as the man slowly leaned forward.

Liquid's kiss was soft, gentle almost, in direct contrast to his scarred lips and hands. Hal was frozen in place, completely shocked and blindsided at what was happening. Undeterred Liquid's callused hands moved, one sliding back into Hal's messy hair while the other snaked around his shoulder blades. Then Hal started pressing back almost instinctively, clinging to Liquid's broad shoulders as a low whine escaped his throat. Liquid easily pushed him backwards until Hal was pressed up against the sink, the counter digging into the small of his back.

The kiss grew deep and wet, Liquid sliding his warm tongue into Hal's mouth and causing him to let out a strangled groan. He tangled his fingers up in Liquid's long blond hair as the man crushed him firmly up against his bare chest; Liquid was like an unmovable wall, easily pinning Hal in place while the smaller man clung to him, the thick, musky scent of the soldier's sweat invading his nostrils. Liquid's short nails dug into his scalp and his nose bumped against Hal's as he kissed him thoroughly, thigh pressed hard between the scientist's shaking legs.

Just as Hal was beginning to get light headed from the intensity of the kiss Liquid released him, making the scientist slump back against the counter while panting roughly. He stared in confusion and slight arousal as Liquid lightly traced Hal's lips with a rough finger tip, mouth curling up into a smile.

"I, um..." Hal stuttered, what they'd just done crashing down upon him and making his face burn crimson while staring at the blond with panicked eyes.

Liquid's smile just widened even further, leaning down further and pressing a quick kiss to Hal's temple before turning on his heel and leaving, calling out his shoulder with, "Hope you feel better Emmerich- just don't take Mantis too personally."

Hal nodded dumbly, gazing at the space the man had departed from with a glassy stare. Slowly he brought up a hand and touched his lips which were slick with saliva.

Just _what_ had he gotten himself into?

* * *


	7. Chapter 7

  
  
NestNesm has sent Otakon a message!   
  
NestNesm: Alright so we've actually gotten wind of some potential MG activity- it's been through RP end and she's sending the information to PY.  
NestNesm: I figured this could be a blessing in disguise- from what RP mentioned to me everyone is getting a bit cabin feverish on your end.  
NestNesm: So hopefully that'll get those boys of your hair for a while and they can stop acting like children.  
NestNesm: ...  
NestNesm: Otakon.  
NestNesm: ....  
NestNesm: ??  
NestNesm: What's wrong?  
NestNesm: I know you're online- is something wrong?  
NestNesm: Do you...  
NestNesm: Do you want a hamburger?  
Otakon: Oh, sorry Natasha!  
Otakon: I was um  
Otakon: Just preoccupied.  
NestNesm: Are you _sure_ you don't need a hamburger?  
Otakon: Yes Nat I'm fine- there's nothing wrong here.  
NestNesm: Oh for goodness sake, you shouldn't discuss our safeword and real names.  
Otakon: Come on, me and Mei spent nearly a week making sure these conversations are so dark even the boogeyman couldn't find them.  
NestNesm: My mirth is great.  
NestNesm: :/  
Otakon: Wow I made you emote!  
NestNesm: Put it on our secret records, Hal.  
Otakon: That's the spirit!  
NestNesm: So, potential MG later? PY should be fully collaborated with RP by then and she can send everything over.  
NestNesm: It's also still in Maple so you can use the current mousehole with no issue.  
Otakon: Hehe, your codes are always hilarious!  
NestNesm: Laugh it up, they may one day spare us the firing squad.  
Otakon: Alright, alright. The Nest is right, the metallic Serpent must depart to hunt the tin soldier and uh, I forgot the other code words.  
NestNesm: Hey, stop deflecting.  
NestNesm: RP told me about the tension- so MG business aside, how are you holding up?  
Otakon: Why would I be holding up bad?  
NestNesm: Don't give me that.  
NestNesm: I know how stressful it can be, being around men who are...intense and know how to manipulate you.  
Otakon: I'm not being manipulated!  
NestNesm: Hal, they're soldiers- black ops even. It would most likely be fully unintentional but I don't doubt those two strays we picked up may be subconsciously treating you as if you are akin to them. That can have...unintended ripples through everyone.  
NestNesm: Sometimes you aren't even aware of it until someone points it out, as you don't even notice the lasting damage until it's blatantly spelled out.  
NestNesm: One of the reasons why I'm a widow I'm afraid. Such a _tragic_ accident that befell my dear late husband Richard.  
Otakon: Um yes.  
NestNesm: Anyway, how are you?  
NestNesm: It just must be stressful, staying around Solid and those other two.  
NestNesm: From what PK told me he's been snapping fairly hard at the other.  
NestNesm: The uh, Wet Reptile.  
Otakon: I'm not calling Liquid that.  
NestNesm: It's a perfecting fitting name!  
Otakon: Hardly. Anyway, he's been um okay.  
NestNesm: He hasn't threatened you?  
Otakon: No.  
Otakon: He's actually been kind of  
Otakon: Charming?  
NestNesm: Really?  
NestNesm: Well, I guess compared to Solid he would be- no offense to the man but he's not a natural speaker.  
NestNesm: Though are the twin snakes still getting on each others nerves?  
Otakon: Maybe?  
Otakon: I spoke to Liquid before and I think he and Dave just had like a normal talk, finally.  
Otakon: Which is good!  
Otakon: Because all this tension has been driving me mad.  
NestNesm: Hmm.  
NestNesm: Well hopefully this upcoming mission will help them get over their family feud, or what have you.  
NestNesm: Also thank goodness the twins are the same height so they can just share clothes. Speaking of which, how tall is that Russian again? I'll send some for him, as well.   
Otakon: Um, let me check the files...   
Otakon: He's 190cm tall, so that's about 6'2?  
NestNesm: Good gracious.   
NestNesm: That man is like a giraffe.   
NestNesm: A murderous giraffe.   
Otakon: Also I think Liquid is taller than Dave? By only a centimeter, but still...   
NestNesm: Really?   
Otakon: Really.   
NestNesm: That is...rather hilarious, actually.   
Otakon: Yes.  
NestNesm: ...  
NestNesm: Hal?  
Otakon: Yes?  
NestNesm: Are you hiding something from me?  
Otakon: What?  
Otakon: No!!!  
Otakon: Of course not!!  
NestNesm: Really?  
NestNesm: So why are you getting so defensive?  
Otakon: I am not!  
NestNesm: Hal.  
NestNesm: What. Happened.  
Otakon: Um.  
NestNesm: _Hal._  
Otakon: Okay!!  
Otakon: I uh  
Otakon: I kinda  
Otakon: I kind of kissed Dave????  
NestNesm: Really?  
Otakon: Yes.  
NestNesm: Congratulations, then.  
Otakon: That's it??  
NestNesm: Well, it is? Haven't you been pining over Solid for months now.  
NestNesm: Wait, he didn't turn you down, did he?  
Otakon: No he actually uh seemed  
Otakon: Receptive?  
Otakon: But then I spilled hot coffee on myself and had to go clean that up.  
NestNesm: Oh god Hal, only you.  
NestNesm: But he reciprocated which is a good thing- I always knew that man had a soft spot for you a mile long.  
Otakon: That actually isn't the only thing...  
NestNesm: What?  
NestNesm: Oh, did you go further than kissing?  
Otakon: No!!!  
Otakon: I just kissed him this morning, not really enough time for that.  
NestNesm: Ha!  
NestNesm: You evidently don't know many soldiers.   
NestNesm: It isn't uncommon to just get a 'wham, bam, thank you ma'am' and off they go.  
Otakon: Okay you really need to stop gossiping with Meryl, I didn't need to know that!  
NestNesm: For gods sake, Hal. We're all adults here- if you want to have sex with Solid then go for it.  
Otakon: No!  
Otakon: I mean yes  
Otakon: No wait, I mean I'm not talking with this about you!  
Otakon: Anyway that isn't what the uh other thing was  
Otakon: Urgh!  
Otakon: I don't even know!  
NestNesm: It's alright, take your time.  
Otakon: Okay.  
Otakon: I may have um  
Otakon: I may have also kissed Liquid.  
NestNesm: Oh.  
NestNesm: Alright.  
NestNesm: I have to admit I wasn't expecting that.  
NestNesm: He  
NestNesm: He didn't force you, did he?  
Otakon: No!  
Otakon: He was actually being really kind because he caught me crying  
Otakon: Oh ah, ignore that last part.  
NestNesm: You were crying?  
Otakon: It was because of Mantis! He just said some mean things and I started crying. It's alright.  
NestNesm: That isn't alright.  
Otakon: No, I was being annoying and should've stopped bothering him and he just got mad.  
Otakon: Anyway I cry over everything.  
Otakon: Even Dave's made me cry a few times.  
NestNesm: If you say so- just remember you don't have to put up with that kind of attitude.  
NestNesm: But back to the topic at hand- you kissed Liquid?  
Otakon: Yeah...  
NestNesm: Was this...with Solid?  
Otakon: What???  
Otakon: No!!!  
NestNesm: Alright I'm just asking!  
NestNesm: But how did you go from kissing Solid to kissing his brother in the span of a day?  
NestNesm: Unless they encouraged it.  
Otakon: uh no  
Otakon: I mean  
Otakon: I kissed Dave and um then I accidentally threw my coffee on Liquid and then I left to my room then went outside and Mantis yelled at me and I was cleaning up in the kitchen and Liquid kissed me.   
Otakon: Okay so story over, lets move on!  
NestNesm: Hold it, so he kissed you later? Did he see you kiss Solid?  
Otakon: I think so??  
NestNesm: Oh dear...  
NestNesm: Could he have just kissed you as a one up on Solid?  
Otakon: I  
Otakon: I don't know!  
Otakon: We weren't even really talking about Dave...I asked him where Dave was and he apparently went fishing. If he uses his grenades again then we're in trouble.  
NestNesm: Hal.  
Otakon: Well I don't know!!  
Otakon: He was just talking to me about what Mantis said to me and then he was being really nice....  
Otakon: Then he just kind of  
Otakon: Um.  
Otakon: Yeah.  
NestNesm: Only you, Hal.  
NestNesm: But really, especially after Solid earlier?  
Otakon: I couldn't help it!  
Otakon: He was being so nice and he was right there and not wearing a shirt and he smelled really good and oh god I'm an awful person aren't I  
NestNesm: No, I don't think you are.  
Otakon: How can't I be??? Barely two hours after I kissed Dave and then I kiss his brother, I'm terrible  
NestNesm: No, you're in unusual circumstances where you've been around in close quarters with the same man for months and then his charismatic twin brother shows up and offers sympathy when you were distressed and Solid wasn't available.  
NestNesm: I think your reaction was very understandable.  
Otakon: It was?  
NestNesm: Yes.  
NestNesm: People make mistakes, especially with emotions like this. You've had quite a crush on Solid for a while and then things up-heaved with these two new members-one of which looks just like him.  
NestNesm: But please Hal, just be very careful. I understand you're a bit confused but we really do not need Liquid and Solid going at each others throat.  
Otakon: I know...  
Otakon: I feel awful.  
NestNesm: If you were in normal circumstances, I would say to discuss the issue with Solid...  
NestNesm: But we aren't, and god knows how he'd react, especially if he assumed what I did and think that Liquid coerced you somehow.  
NestNesm: And we all know how protective he is of you.  
NestNesm: Damn.  
NestNesm: Liquid could be an easier option- or at least ask him _why_ he kissed you in the first place. Or even wait, and see if he brings it up to rib you then you'll know he did it as a dig towards his brother.  
NestNesm: Hm.  
NestNesm: Or he could be genuine.  
NestNesm: Damn, this really is a bit of a mess.  
Otakon: And it's all my fault...  
NestNesm: Stop that- both of the Snakes are adults, they aren't hapless children for you to look after. You aren't responsible for whatever the hell it is they're doing.  
NestNesm: And if they're doing this as some damn posturing thing I'll go to Canada myself and give them a what for, don't you worry.  
Otakon: It's just all a mess!  
NestNesm: Okay, well the whole MG thing will occupy them so you'll have some breathing room to yourself.  
NestNesm: It should barely take a day to get everything set and then those two boys will be out of you hair.  
NestNesm: And uh, hopefully that psychic...  
Otakon: Um that's another thing I should mention  
NestNesm: Did you kiss him too?  
Otakon: No!!!  
NestNesm: Okay, good.  
NestNesm: Just wanting to get everything sorted.  
Otakon: Honestly, considering how he yelled at me I think he'd rather stab me than look at me...  
NestNesm: Don't take it personally- he seems like just a generally hostile person.  
Otakon: It's so awful though...but his yelling kind of...made it apparent his telepathy goes beyond what we originally thought.   
NestNesm: What do you mean?  
Otakon: It's just   
Otakon: When he was talking he brought up...well he brought up my family history.   
NestNesm: Shit, really?  
Otakon: Yeah...   
NestNesm: Are you okay?  
Otakon: Yes.   
Otakon: No.   
Otakon: I don't know. I feel kind of dazed from everything.   
NestNesm: It's probably a bit of an emotional overload- what with this sudden upheaval to our usual group, then the incident involving the Snakes.  
NestNesm: But...how did he know that? We know it isn't on your records since Mei Ling took extreme precautions to scrub that out of any digital record and those who...were involved are either dead or on potential black ops and hence keep their mouths shut. That isn't common knowledge, much less something those two would know.  
Otakon: Well, Psycho Mantis was all 'you can't hide stuff from me' and dragged my family history up...   
Otakon: He even  
NestNesm: Hal, it's okay. You don't have to spell it out.  
NestNesm: But shit.  
NestNesm: He just...  
NestNesm: Knew all that? From his telepathy alone??  
Otakon: Yeah. From what he mentioned during his rant I'm not sure he can fully control it? I think that's why he hates people so much, having all that constantly shoved at him.  
NestNesm: It does sound bad...  
NestNesm: SHIT.  
NestNesm: Damnit that means he could already know about me, Mei and Meryl and since those two are technically spies for Philanthropy this could turn out really, really bad if they choose to turn on us.  
Otakon: I had no idea his telepathy would be....I don't know, like this??? I thought that maybe it'd be obvious or something? Like he had to put his hand on your head or something like Professor Xavier.  
NestNesm: Damnit okay,so this is....a bit of a mess, so we have a hostile psychic who pretty much knows everything about you and Solid in a week.  
Otakon: So um  
Otakon: I guess we have to make sure he stays with us?? Or at least not hold a grudge if he does leave...  
NestNesm: Shit.  
NestNesm: Well, it was a risk. Just didn't figure it would turn out to be such a big one. If they do defect we'll have to kill them.  
NestNesm: Or try, anyway.  
Otakon: We can't do that!  
NestNesm: It's just a last resort. Hopefully they won't make it neccesary- especially since I'm not too sure if Solid could kill the two of them without him or you dying in the process.   
NestNesm: So uh, we'll keep that benched until it's abolsutely needed. Try not to think too loud around Psycho Mantis in the mean time- hopefully this MG buisness will help cement their opinions.  
NestNesm: For good or ill.  
Otakon: Everything is so complicated urgh.  
NestNesm: Well we live in a complicated world.  
NestNesm: But don't think too much on what Psycho Mantis said to you, okay Hal?   
NestNesm: I feel that a man like him just said those things to hurt you for no reason other than a sadistic thrill.  
NestNesm: As for your situation with the twin Snakes....  
NestNesm: I can't really offer much than my original word of caution.  
Otakon: Like I said- _complicated!_  
NestNesm: Only because you couldn't restrain yourself from making out with the local hot single men.  
Otakon: Natasha!  
NestNesm: What? I admit, I'm equal parts apprehensive and impressed over that particular situation.  
Otakon: Ha ha, it's going to be real funny when Dave and Liquid try killing each other.  
Otakon: Or me.  
Otakon: Maybe Dave will be merciful and just break my neck so I can die with embarrassment in peace.  
NestNesm: You know Solid follows the Batman Rule.  
NestNesm: God, I can't believe you and Mei Ling talked us into using that as a legitimate code word.  
Otakon: It's a good code word!  
NestNesm: No it isn't!  
NestNesm: Ugh, whatever I'm not getting into this again.   
NestNesm: Anyway, my break is nearly over and I have to head back to the conference.  
Otakon: So it's going okay?   
NestNesm: It's going great, actually.  
NestNesm: The debating can get fairly intense- there was nearly a fistfight yesterday -but yes, it's going really well.  
NestNesm: Seems far better than being stuck in a house with two annoyed siblings and their creepy Russian friend who can't keep his masked face out of other peoples personal lives.  
Otakon: It is a bit...weird and stressful.   
Otakon: But I think it will sort itself out in the end! Hopefully.   
NestNesm: Alright, just please be careful.  
Otakon: You too!   
  
NestNesm has gone off line! 

"You done there?"

Dave's voice was right in Hal's ear; with a strangled noise the scientist snapped shut his laptop out of reflex and pivoted in his chair, only to yelp when he came nose to nose with a dead pike hanging from David's hand. Eyebrows raised, the soldier took a step back while Hal clung to the edge of the table to stop himself from falling over. With a grunt he straightened up, eyeing the glassy-eyed fish before glancing up at Dave. He tried to ignore the fact Dave was wearing a thin white t-shirt which was damp with sweat, showing off the heavy muscles of his chest and shoulders.

"Liquid mentioned you went fishing-"

Dave shrugged, "It's a good past time."

"Old man," Hal couldn't help but tease.

"Laugh it up. I bet you're just as fed up with all these rations and canned food as I am, at least out here I can hunt something," Dave said, hefting the glossy creature up in one arm; Otacon found it fairly creepy, as the fish was nearly the same length of said arm. Hal never really was fond of water considering his family history but he was moreso wary of _what_ was in the water than the liquid itself. With Dave's hand hooked behind its gills he could see finger-length teeth jutting from the bony lines of its jaws; it could probably swallow his whole hand without issue.

"Dave?"

"Hm?"

"Why does this fish have a bullet hole in its head?"

"Because I shot it."

"Oh."

Hal muttered an internal thanks that their cabin was mostly surrounded by mountain range; at least the gunshots would be swallowed by them. Still, the fact Dave had outright shot it meant he was still on edge. At least he didn't use grenades like he had in Greece nearly a year ago. Hal nearly had a heart attack when he answered the knock at the door on autopilot only to find a police officer. They'd moved safehouses after that even though the officer only gave them a warning for a noise complaint.

"Who were you talking to?" Dave asked, watching as Hal carefully opened his laptop again. The chat window had automatically minimized when he'd shut it so he didn't have to worry about Solid reading his conversation but he still felt ridiculously frazzled.

"It was Natasha," Hal readjusted his glasses, eyeing the drops of water falling from the pike's limp tail, "She mentioned Meryl got wind of potential Metal Gear activity."

That caught Dave's ear and he stopped squinting at the laptop to fix his full attention on him. Despite his friendship and affection for Dave, there was always something unnerving about being the sole focus of that stern blue gaze.

"I don't know much else," Hal quickly said, "Mei is going to send the information over to me tonight, so we can discuss it then."

For a moment David simply gazed at him and Hal felt his face redden at the man's silent scrutiny, remembering the last time Dave had been looking at him like that was when they'd kissed. Then David averted his eyes and Hal coughed awkwardly.

"Alright, let me know what she gets back to you," Dave shifted in place, hefting the dead pike up as he moved, "Could do with some action, really."

With that Dave left for the kitchen and after some internal differing Hal followed him; he was too on edge from everything to focus or code anything. He would just have to wait from the alert from Mei Ling and then try organizing everything. Hopefully they could get the next mission in place before anything else happened, for good or ill. Hal figured it would actually be beneficial to an extent, as if they were finally cementing Liquid and Mantis as teammates. Assuming something terrible didn't happen but that was a risk in their everyday lives now.

Hal flushed slightly as his eyes flicked over to the bench where Liquid had kissed him against but before he could dwell on it further Dave slapped the wet pike down on the counter and rummaged through one of the drawers before pulling out a long knife.

There was something weirdly mesmerizing about watching Dave, who was slicing along the pike's spine with a sharp fillet knife, and seeing all the thick muscles along his shoulder and arms bunch and slide beneath his skin. Hal was soft and almost portly while the Snakes were all lethal grace and corded musculature. Even Mantis was unerringly thin and sinister in appearance. Hal was just Hal, about as threatening as a hamster. 

Leaning against the door frame Hal couldn't help but think back to Natasha's words, about her warnings that what Liquid did could purely be a dig towards his twin. But the blond's earlier behaviour didn't fit with that, did it? He seemed genuinely intrigued by him. Or that could just be Hal's pathetic attempts to rationalize the situation. He'd done it before. Swallowing thickly Hal glanced back at Dave, watching the man as he slid the knife underneath the side of the pike, carving out a long fillet of pale pink flesh.

Hal wasn't sure what to say from where he dithered in the doorway, _I know I kissed you earlier and I'm fairly sure I'm in love with you but I also kissed your brother soon afterwards. He's pretty nice actually, and smells really good and his eyes are so green. But he could just being doing that to mess with us. Also Mantis yelled at me and made me cry, as well as insinuated he knows every secret about Philanthropy. Which do you want to deal with first?_

Honestly, he had no idea how to broach the subject. It was painfully awkward for him and he still felt the vaguely sick feeling of shame in his gut for his earlier actions. He felt like a cheater despite the fact he and Dave never went further than that kiss nor cemented anything, and Hal got the odd impression Solid wouldn't make any advances on him; that _Hal_ had to be the one to take things further. It was a nice thought. Especially considering his last catastrophic stint in romance...

The sharp _thack_ of Dave beheading the pike with a cleaver snapped Hal from his brooding. He watched, face twisting in disgust, as Dave shoved aside the head and fillets, observing the pile of offal before the soldier nonchalantly picked up the pike's heart and ate it raw. Hal nearly gagged; he still couldn't understand how Dave could just eat stuff like that raw. It was so gross and Hal vowed that if he ever _did_ kiss Solid again he'd make sure the man had brushed his teeth earlier.

"Um, what are you gonna do to the rest of it?" It was a morbid curiosity really that made him ask. There was something weird about seeing Dave eat the raw organs like they were peanuts. He wasn't really sure if he wanted know what Dave was going to do with the fish's severed head. However his fears about that were unfounded.

"Stick the head, gills and fins in a broth," Dave answered absentmindedly. He cleaned off the cleaver before glancing back at Hal, frowning slightly, "What's with you, anyway? Usually you can't leave quick enough when I'm doing stuff like this." 

He had a point; usually Hal got extremely interested in something else when Dave decided to bring his hunting conquests home, especially after the first time when he went into one of their old kitchens only to find a deer's severed head starting blankly at him from the sink. There'd been some knee jerk panic from that, doubly so when Dave skidded into the room covered in blood and wielding a gore-splattered butchers knife after hearing Hal's shrieking. That hadn't of been a fun night for either of them. 

"Well, um, I just...I just...I dunno," Hal stammered out, face red. Dave raised an eyebrow and it was then Hal was struck by the sheer similarity between him and Liquid.

"You don't know?"

"No...I'm sorry, I'm just a bit out of sorts from everything that's happened this week," Hal couldn't think of anything else to say, beyond nearly blurting out that it probably wouldn't be appropriate to have a conversation in the same place Hal had kissed Dave's twin brother. 

"Those two haven't been bothering you?"

"Um," Hal awkwardly toyed with the edge of his sweater, avoiding Dave's stare, "Not really? I think...I mean I pissed Mantis off earlier so he got kinda mad at me..."

"Huh..." Dave frowned, seemingly lost in thought for a moment before saying, "How mad? Did he hurt you?"

He hesitated; he didn't really want to admit Mantis had technically attacked him. Judging from the ache Hal still had around his chest, back and neck, the psychic's grip would potentially leave bruises on him and he knew Dave wouldn't take kindly to knowing Mantis had assaulted him, even if it was Hal's fault in the first place.

"Hal," the scientist in question twitched, realizing in his dithering Dave had silently approached and was now only a few feet away from him, a frowning marring his handsome features, "Did he hurt you?"

One of Dave's hands, still damp from the slime of the pike, carefully touched Hal's check. He swallowed as Dave titled his head to the side, studying his face for a long moment while Hal struggled to keep his composure. He wasn't good with human touch, preferring his computers and technology, and the last time he'd been so close to Dave they'd been kissing.

Quickly Hal pulled back from Dave's gentle grasp, shaking his head, "No, I'm fine. He just got fairly mad, and you know how I am about confrontation. I would rather hide in a closet or something when people are about to fight or even just argue loudly."

Dave's blue eyes narrowed and Hal felt himself tense under the soldier's scrutiny. He wasn't sure if Dave suspected him of lying or not and he took a deep breath to assure him, only to end up making a face.

"You reek like fish."

"Yeah, 'cause I just had my hands in the gut of one."

"Ew, if this is your idea of sweet talk I would hate to see you really plying on the romance," Hal couldn't help but tease. Dave smirked and Hal tried his best to not fidget. It was always tempting when Dave was this close, to lean into him and kiss him. Now however Hal felt like it would be immensely unfair considering what he'd done with early Liquid anyway, as if he was potentially stringing David along despite being relatively certain he had been in love with the man for the past few months.

"Where is Liquid?"

"Um, I saw him before," Hal answered tentatively, thanking whatever gods were out there that David couldn't read minds, "And we, uh, spoke for a while then he left. Maybe he went to go talk with Psycho Mantis?"

"Well if you pissed him off that bad it could be it."

"Anyway, I'll leave you to...that fish," Hal cast a glance at the bench, "I'll wait for Mei's information and when she sends it over I'll get you, uh, three together to discuss it. Who knows, maybe it'll be a good um, good group bonding activity."

Dave gave him an incredulous look but otherwise didn't argue, "Alright, go play with your toys. I've got to deal with this pike anyway- you're going to eat some of this once I'm done. It's brain food, and I doubt those two being here have somehow helped your regular diet of instant noodles and coffee. Fresh food will do you some good."

"I eat other things!" Hal immediately protested.

"Junk food doesn't count."

"Yeah well, you smoke too much," he muttered rebelliously.

With a snort Dave lightly bumped shoulders with him before turning back to the counter. Swallowing down the urge to catch the soldier's arm Hal quietly left to the living room again. Part of him was surprised Liquid or Mantis weren't lurking- they'd been doing that most of the week, simply observing for the most part just like Dave did for the first few months he joined Philanthropy. Hal hoped it wouldn't take them as long as David did to relax. Then again Dave _was_ here which was bound to rub his twin the wrong way even if it seemed more vice versa so Hal couldn't really base that previous experience on the current one.

Gathering up his laptop Hal peered out the window, half expecting to see one of their new members lurking outside there. Instead all he saw was the serene slope of grassy hill leading down to the lake, framed by towering trees and a clear blue sky. 

_I hope those two are okay,_ he tried to cast off his worry; he was pretty sure there weren't many bears in Canada and if there was Liquid and Mantis could take care of it. Even so, he felt uneasy at getting such a negative reaction from Mantis earlier considering he was technically the one who vouched the longest for two to be recruited yet barely a week in and he had one attack him. At least Liquid didn't seemed that bothered by his companion's actions. Biting his lip Hal walked down the hallway and, after some awkwardly fumbling, managed to open the door at the end of the corridor. 

His room was small- it was technically supposed to be an office since their current safehouse was spacious enough to have two bedrooms alongside the bathroom, living room and kitchen, but due to their new members Hal picked the smaller room to claim his own. Dave, he knew, kept a ridiculous amount of weaponry in his room. When they'd shared in smaller safehouses it wouldn't be uncommon for Hal to find knives, guns or even grenade underneath his pillow or nearly stand on one when stumbling from the bed.

Instead of weapons strewn about numerous hard drives, books and wires were snaking around the small area like hundreds of trip hazards lying in wait. Carefully Hal tottered over them before collapsing on his back on the bed, laptop clutched to his chest.

The roof was the same as the rest of the building; glossy dark wood. It was a warmer look than their last few places admittedly. Either way, the solitude was both a comfort and anxiety. Hal felt exposed almost, but knew that if anyone did attempt to attack them then their isolation would give them prompt warning and Hal knew both the Snakes were fully versed in guerilla warfare so simply killing the invaders would be easy enough with those two. Not to mention Psycho Mantis being added to the mix.

Hal shivered, _When did my thoughts get like this?_ The almost detached coldness and clinical observation of it caught him off guard. He didn't start Philanthropy to plot over killing people- if anything he was overjoyed when Dave gradually stopped killing other soldiers when he was sent on missions, even if it took a few months and carefully prompting for him to ease off and ultimately stop. That day after David completed a three-day mission with no kills whatsoever was the first time Hal excitedly hugged him. It was like hugging a warm, breathing brick wall and it was only after he was clinging to the man did his brain catch up with him along with the brief spike of fear that Dave would throw him off.

Instead the man had stared then smirked at him, seemingly fully relaxing for the first time around Hal.

Hal guessed that was when he started falling into love with Dave. 

Then he'd gone and kissed his twin brother.

Groaning his fingers dug into the side of his laptop, face twisted up into a painful grimace. 

He'd made such a mess of things; he should've shoved Liquid away or not provoked Mantis in the first place which led to Liquid seeking him out. Now, his stupidity and weakness could destroy Philanthropy as he could've inadvertently rammed a wedge between the two clones. Would Dave react badly? He wasn't sure, considering Natasha's remarks about soldiers being rather frivolous in their relationships. Meryl had shared some stories of the same but Hal felt he'd been one of the few people who'd actually truly befriended Dave and deep down hoped Dave regarded him as more than just a potential fling.

Considering the women of Philanthropy still called Dave 'Solid Snake' more often than not he was aware they didn't hold David in the same intimate regard Hal did. He knew the three of them _wanted_ to, it was just...difficult to wear down Dave's wall and considering Dave's past Hal couldn't blame him. Not actually interacting with the soldier face-to-face probably didn't help matters, especially considering Mei Ling's and Meryl's secretive association with them. 

_Guess there's something to be said for technically being a terrorists and always forced together,_ Hal thought grimly. Seemed he would never be able to rub the stain of Zanzibarland from his record, since so many world governments seemed to be completely ignore he had been outright kidnapped by Big Boss and forced to make that Metal Gear on pain of torture and death.

Hal shivered; Big Boss had been terrifying beyond reason and Hal felt so badly on edge whenever the man showed up, despite the warmonger's almost light hearted attitude towards him. There'd been something so wrong about the man, as if there he was just a vindictive shell of rage walking around with a faux smile on his face. Hal couldn't forget the matter-of-fact way the man described how Hal would be horrendously tortured if he failed or tried to escape, the faint smiling never leaving the one-eyed man's face as he told him great detail as if it was a fun campfire story. There was just something so _wrong_ with the man, something that frightened him on an instinctive level. Hal had burst into tears when Dave showed up in Zanzibarland, both from stress, grief and relief even if the soldier had violently manhandled him right after. Anything was better than being in Big Boss's grip.

After that Zanzibarland had pretty much exploded into flame and napalm and Hal barely escaped by the skin of his teeth. But despite his prisoner status Hal was dismayed when he cautiously probed the Pentagon and found he was labeled as a traitor and committer of treason. He wanted to try and appeal it, but all the information he got were from fairly unscrupulous sources, which essentially called him a potential Metal Gear engineer for the American government. He'd been captive in Zanzibarland long enough to recognize the FOXHOUND stamp and felt sick when he finally understood that if the US government _did_ confirm he was alive and found him they'd imprison him much the same, potentially forcing him to make another mobile nuclear tank.

Hal wasn't particularly patriotic; he knew the USA was just as corrupt and underhanded as many of their enemies but it was disturbing to know the plans his own government had for him. So he kept low, kept quiet, but the interest didn't waver when combing the ruins of Zanzibarland and his body wasn't found; if anything it spiked wildly. 

He hid and observed for months until 'Pinyin' contacted him over a secure channel. That was how he got in contact with Mei Ling and Natasha. He spent a while with Natasha, able to hide his presence enough and it was after many long discussions with her, especially regarding their both anti-nuclear warfare stances, that Philanthropy came to be. Mei Ling joined instantly and a few months later she announced her plans to try and persuade her friend Meryl to the team. Nearly a fortnight later and Philanthropy had four members.

Before Solid Snake joined, however, they were forced to be sneaky and underhanded, barely able to do anything more than covertly leak incriminating documents. Hal's presence put Natasha at extreme risk but the woman shut down any argument about him living to a different location and Hal grudgingly backed down. 

Then Hal caught wind through Meryl about the killer of Big Boss, the Legendary Solid Snake, who was reportedly somewhere in Alaska and after months of arguing, yelling and brooding Natasha finally put her foot down and declared they needed to get to Snake first, especially since Meryl knew from her spying on her uncle the American Government were soon going to force Solid's hand in working for them, as the man supposedly refused to help the government after Zanzibarland. Natasha pointed out if that happened they would loose their chance and on that same day the two departed to Alaska, managing to track down Solid within the week due to Mei Ling's and Meryl's intel and the rest was history.

But still, David was now a tried and true friend. It took Hal a while to dig beneath his shell and find the man beneath all the smoldering anger and the bloodthirsty reputation. Dave was _nice_ , if not gruff and rather standoffish when the mood suited him. He was also lethal and one of the most dangerous people on the planet and Hal trusted him implacably. 

David wasn't shy but he was noticeably more withdrawn with his twin. Liquid didn't have the same melancholy air that would occasionally surround David. Instead he seemed constantly smug, arrogant, with a strange undercurrent of glee that his twin never expressed. There was a more pronounced, open ferocity to the man and Hal could only guess that was what blindsided him so bad. He was used to Dave's somber attitude and then Liquid with his loud arrogance threw all that out the door. The blond was also noticeably more friendly, or at least sociable and Hal couldn't help the knee jerk deep attraction he felt for the handsome man even after knowing the atrocities the man had performed.

He'd read the reports, he knew about the bloody massacres Liquid Snake and Psycho Mantis committed in their killing sprees. The only real light in those files that Hal could see was that the two seemingly avoided killing civilians, noncombatants and children. Otherwise everyone was fair game and Hal felt nauseous the first time he made the mistake of reading the more detail reports, seeing exactly what those two had done to many of their opponents before they killed them.

Because of that he expected someone has empty and insidious as Big Boss, but the cocky arrogance and sheer life radiating from the man put that in the fire. Hal got the impression the man did greatly love killing other humans but that was tempered by his oddly deep friendship with Psycho Mantis. Hal was unsure just _what_ was between them and he knew the two had been at each others side for over a decade. To cultivate that kind of dedication considering their livelihood was amazing. 

Meryl had mentioned, in cautious tones, over one of their rare video calls about the fact many of Dave's old acquaintances had been at Zanzibarland when he attacked it. Hal didn't know what to think or say, knowing Dave had been forced to kill his friends before killing his own father. But it showed that links of kith and kin meant nothing to the military and tomorrow could lead to someone being ordered to kill someone they care for. Therefore the friendship between Liquid Snake and Psycho Mantis was even more of an anomaly considering their companionship was even strongly detailed in the reports about them. They'd been together since their late teens by all account, from what Hal read they had somehow came in contact with one another while Liquid was a POW. Why or how Mantis came across the clone was beyond Hal but it did oddly humanize the two knowing that despite their bloody tendencies they could still forge friendships.

But either way there was something about Liquid that drew him, either the man's charming attitude or just the air he cultivated around himself Hal was unsure. But still he felt guilty about kissing him, even if it was enjoyable. Dave didn't deserve that, for Hal to shove him aside instantly for a different model.

Natasha's warnings about Liquid potentially manipulating him rose back into his mind and Hal rolled over, grumpily shoving his laptop on the bedside table before he crushed it by accident. Honestly he wouldn't be surprised if that were the case. It seemed all his romances were born from manipulation and underhanded tactics and Hal felt his stomach twist up in knots as Dave's earlier words about Hal 'deserving better than him' bubbled back up in his mind and made him snort out loud. If anything it was the other way around; Hal didn't deserve Dave. Didn't deserve his respect and kindness.

On the tail of that thought came a knock at his door, followed by Dave's rough voice asking, "You in here?"

Hal quickly sat up on his bed, clearing his throat before answering, "Come in!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> But really, Mantis is a [giraffe.](http://stardustjelly.tumblr.com/post/135794807137) A murderous, scrawny giraffee. And yup, canon confirms Liquid is exactly one centimeter taller than Solid.
> 
> Also pikes can get [pretty damn big.](http://www.luckylures.nl/info/rossini5.jpg) . Like it is so necessary for them to get that large??? Fish are so weird. I've watched too many episode of River Monsters and watched too many videos on how to clean pikes which made me super hungry.


	8. Chapter 8

"I uh, brought you some food," Dave said awkwardly, looking oddly nervous in the doorway.

Hal smiled; the soldier always got so uncertain when he was trying to be kind, obviously far more unused to it than violence. It made Hal but sympathetic and pleased, knowing the soldier was slowly learning, breaking down his wall of constant cold paranoia. It was one of the reasons why it'd hurt so much, seeing him throw it all back up with the new arrivals, even if a selfish part of him enjoyed knowing Dave slowly allowed him to see that private part of him. 

"Ah, you cooked me shot fish."

"The bullet isn't still in there so settle down. Also you can eat raw fish without it killing you anyway; figured a Japanophile like you would know."

"Stop calling me that."

"Fine, _Otacon,_ " with that he stepped into Hal's room, kicking the door shut behind him. 

Hal's current bed was only a single, so when Dave sat down next to him Hal's body slid down towards the dip until he was only a few inches from the soldier's side. He tried not to think about it too much, as there was suddenly a plate of fried fish shoved under his nose.

"Eat," Dave's voice was stern and Hal immediately complied. 

He initially was a bit leery of eating something he was sure was alive and wiggling only half an hour ago but his stomach insisted otherwise so as soon as he took a tentative mouthful of the fish his hunger won out and he immediately began to fork up more, the fish suddenly feeling like it was the more delicious thing he'd eaten in months.

"Jesus Hal, don't just inhale everything."

"Mffsogy," Hal's voice was muffled by the mouthful of pike and he swallowed thickly, grimacing before blinking at Dave, "Sorry. Kinda hungry, actually." 

"Yeah well, you need to eat more."

"Hardly," Hal said, giving Dave a mock glare, "I don't need to hork down so much food because I'm not a buff super soldier who splits wood with his bare hands and can beat up several people at once."

"Right."

Dave was sitting right next to him, his warmth only a few inches from Hal. He wanted to lean into him, nuzzle up against the soldier's side and press kisses along the strong jawline. To lick at his stubble, to mouth along his throat and taste his sweat. Instead he made himself spear another chunk of fish with his fork.

 _You're being creepy,_ Hal admonished himself. Still, it was hardly his fault David was so attractive. He and ladies of Philanthropy had talked about it at numerous instances- Hal just lucked out in being forced into the man's presence nigh constantly, placed in a situation where privacy and personal space was fairly rare. He did secretly like the few times he and Dave had to share a bed, even if it ran the risk of Dave nearly strangling Hal in his sleep due to the man's habitual nightmares. At least Dave was incredibly apologetic after those instances especially whenever Hal would end up with bruises ringing his throat. He privately felt that it was a fair trade just to feel Dave's calloused fingers gingerly trace the bruised skin later on in remorse.

Even if said thoughts made Hal feel like an absolute creeper at times.

Shaking that off Hal swallowed the mouthful of pike and said, "So...well, Mei Ling is going to contact me later and I was thinking...maybe it would be a good time to formally introduce her to Liquid Snake and Psycho Mantis?"

Dave went deathly still next to him, "What?"

"You know, so she can talk to them. She's going to have to soon enough anyway and talking about Philanthropy and Metal Gear activity will be a good ice breaking- that way she has like uh, an opening topic to start off with."

"I don't think that's a good idea. Maybe Natasha? At least she isn't so..." Dave's nose wrinkled up and he made a vague motion with his hand, "Undercover."

"Mei has to talk to them eventually. I know she's excited to."

"Yeah, but those two are dangerous. What if they leave and track her down?"

"We thought the same for you," Hal countered, "And trying to keep things under wraps just made you suspect us even more. Anyway, I think lying isn't a...um, well I don't think it'll be a good way to start our working relationship with them. Also Psycho Mantis can read _minds_ so I think trying to hide stuff wouldn't go over to well. Just treat it like a bandage I guess? Rip it off quick."

"Great, so we have the risk of gangrene."

Hal poked him in the side with his fork, "Stop it. I just feel that trying to hide stuff from a _mind reader_ is a really bad idea, because he'll tell Liquid and then...um..."

With an annoyed noise he fell silent, unsure how to word it. He knew those two had been together for years and he doubted Liquid could or would hide anything from his psychic companion and considering their history Mantis probably shared any information he found with the blond clone. Which meant he was, most likely, aware of what had occurred between him and Liquid in the kitchen.

Maybe it wasn't actually Dave he had to worry about; Last thing he wanted was Mantis murdering him in a jealous rage due to a miscommunication and he guessed the lanky psychic would be a lot less merciful towards him than Dave. He really should've paid more attention to everything but he just wasn't good with reading people and their relationships.

_No wonder I'm in this mess._

Shaking that off, Hal continued, "Then they'd _both_ know we were lying to them, or at least trying to hide stuff. What if that's what sets them off instead? We can't expect them to trust us if we don't offer it to them first- after all we're the ones who sought them out, not the other way around."

Dave just made a low growling noise before saying, "It's up to Mei Ling, then. I don't agree with it but it's her choice if she wants to or not."

"Okay. I'll let her know when she contacts me," Hal speared another square of fish, almost impressed he'd nearly eaten most of it. He was usually a nibbler when it came to food. Then again, he couldn't even remember if he'd actually eaten anything since he woke up. His brain just had a track of loosing time whenever something new came up and considering their current predicament Hal couldn't blame himself for forgetting to eat occasionally.

Dave didn't speak further and Hal tried to ignore the way the man was watching him closely while he ate even if he felt ridiculously self conscious. He didn't know why, considering it was hardly the most awkward situation the two had been in. Rather than question it he just silently finished off the food, the tips of his ears burning.

"Thank you," he said politely, unsure of what to do now. Dave just rolled his eyes before taking the empty plate from him and putting it on the bedside table next to his laptop. Then he turned back to Hal with his expression set and inwardly Hal cringed.

"Now how about you tell me about the whole incident between you and the psychic."

"Okay, it wasn't that bad."

"I'll be the judge of that. Now tell me what happened."

There was that unyielding commanding tone again and Hal shivered involuntarily. There was something scary and weirdly arousing about that tone, even though it lacked the sinister, violent intent behind it like Big Boss's held. Dave's eyes narrowed further and Hal stuttered out an answer.

"Oh, erm, ah, well I went to uh, go talk to him. I figured maybe making friends with him? Because I guess just leaving it up to....to chance wouldn't really get me anywhere. So I...tried."

"Tried."

"Yeah."

"How did you try?"

Hal began to fidget; in hindsight his behaviour was stupid but it seemed like a good idea at the time. He tried to think of a way to phrase it without sounding overly ridiculously but after a moment of dithering he finally concluded he could. So honesty it was.

"Well, I went over and said hello...just basic things. Then he started talking about his psychics and um, I don't know, I guess he started getting really angry when he talked about them because his father came up and I think my reaction had something to do with it?" Hal squirmed awkwardly, not knowing if that kind of topic was something he should be sensitive about, "I don't know, I think I just mess everything up, Doesn't help that I, I kept on freaking out on him ever since he arrived."

Dave was silent for a moment before he sighed, "I could understand his frustration if it was that; I know I kept on being pissed whenever I spoke to Meryl, what with her shoving me up on a pedestal and acting as if going into battle is something to look forward to- as if there is 'honour' in killing other people. There isn't, it starts off as a job just like any other then you get used to it. So I could understand why Mantis got so irritated with you putting him up on a pedestal, making him seem more than he is. Regardless of the weird magic shit he can do he's a man just like us. And I've certainly gotten pissed at Meryl until she finally knocked it off but even then she gets all fangirly at times, which is obnoxious. Acting like we're something above other people just for what we've done and ignoring everything else, it can get frustrating."

He leaned back, exhale slow, "So yeah with your gushing I could see why he snapped at you eventually. As long as he didn't hurt you or anything, however."

Hal swallowed and quickly assured his friend, "No, no! I'm fine. Just a bit rattled. But I guess I could see your point and I did kind of put my foot in my mouth when, um, he mentioned something in the past, about killing his father?"

"Ah."

"Yeah and I just wouldn't shut up so..."

Dave laughed, low and husky, "You really don't do things in spades, do you Hal? First real conversation with that man and the dead fathers come bubbling up. Guess Liquid had a point when he mentioned we could bond over that."

"He what?"

"When I spoke to him in the living room, he wanted to know how Big Boss died," A shadow flickered across Dave's handsome face, "He got fairly happy about hearing the story of me burning him to death. Mentioned I could talk with Psycho Mantis over it."

"...That man has a strange sense of humour."

With a sigh Dave shifted, his thigh pressing against Hal's, "Everyone deals in their own way. You probably haven't missed how often I smoke and despite you banning alcohol I wouldn't turn down any I got my hands on. Liquid...guess he just embraced it, the killing, rather than let it kill him."

"He's certainly a lot more, um, chipper than I expected."

"I'll give him that. So I can understand where Liquid is coming from with that attitude. I'm not proud to, but I understand."

"So...you've been getting along with him?"

"I wouldn't say that. He's nosy and dangerous. Also really annoying."

Hal nudged Dave's shoulder gently, "I think he's just doing it to get a raise out of you. It's um, it's a sibling thing. I'm pretty sure." Hal could barely remember a lot of his 'normal' civilian family life but he remembered all the ribbing that went between him and Emma- usually from her end.

"Still weird thinking of him as that."

"You never actually thought about your twin?" Hal was actually surprised by that, "Even while growing up or being in the army?"

"I didn't even _know_ I had one."

"You...what?" Hal's surprise shifted into confusion, "How could you not? I mean, I sure it wasn't common but surely you found out somehow? Like maybe...I don't know, they must've know! How rude."

Dave snorted, "You clearly haven't been in the military- anything they can use to manipulate you they will try, especially with someone like me. Keep it in the dark before flipping over the card to force you to do whatever crap mission they want. But yeah, I heard rumours, now and again about some lunatic rogue soldier chasing whispers and massacring secret facilities but that was about it. Guess the fact FOXHOUND never sent me after Liquid when I was with them should've been a red flag but I didn't really care enough to think too much over it."

"So Liquid was kind of infamous?"

"I guess? The military is like a sewing circle sometimes with soldiers gossiping about anything under the sun, be it while training or trapped in a blood-filled foxhole," Dave shrugged, his body warm and firm against Hal's side, "So there was a lot of bullshit ghost stories floating around to the point you weren't sure which was right or wrong."

"I wonder who they were hunting," Hal said thoughtfully. After a moment he shifted before gingerly resting his head on Dave's shoulder. The soldier didn't push him away.

"Who knows. Liquid hasn't mentioned it and Mantis just seems to enjoying being an ass."

"Okay he's a bit abrasive but he could be way worse."

"He made you cry, Hal."

"I cry over lots of things. Kittens wearing adorable outfits make me cry. The ending of The Grave of the Fireflies made me cry. _You've_ made me cry before."

"Hn."

"Don't 'hn' me! I'm just a person who cries a lot, it's who I am. We can't be all tough, brave handsome human walls like you," He blurted that out without really thinking it through. Dave didn't respond and Hal felt his face heat up. At least Dave could see his face from that angle and Hal pressed himself further against the soldier's side, nose buried against Dave's shoulder.

Instead Dave hooked an arm across Hal's shoulder and tugged him flush up against him, Hal's head now pushed right up against the underside of Dave's throat. He sucked in a surprised breath and was instantly assailed with the soldier's scent, the thick smell of sweat, gun powder and the sour, underlying tinge of cigarette smoke.

"Brave. Now there's a word. Brave just means we're numb after everything. Anyone who's been in war is the same- there's no winner in wars, just survivors and we're all screwed up no matter how long we wear a mask. Just killers, not heroes no matter how the idiotic government tries and paints us as. That's why you deserve better than a screwed up soldier Too much blood on my hands, the blood of innocents and even my friends," Dave continued with hardly a pause, voice calm and neutral. Hal was too overwhelmed his proximity to really pay attention, eyes half lidded as he hummed absentmindedly.

Dave shifted and for a brief moment Hal tensed, half expecting the soldier to shove him away- instead he shifted the arm looped around Hal's shoulder until his hand was resting in the scientist's unruly hair and he started patting him as if he was a house pet. Hal, after a few moments, didn't care, finding the rhythmic petting soothing and slowly the tension ebbed from his frame until he was getting drowsy and his eyes fully slid shut. Dave didn't seem to mind that or the metal rim of the glasses digging into the underside of his jaw.

"I was being sincere before," Hal said sleepily, face still pressed against Dave's throat, "About uh, wanting you as my..." He didn't know how to finish that. He wanted Dave as what, his boyfriend? Lover? Partner? All of the above? His romantic experience was severely limited, much less one with another man and a super soldier clone to boot.

"Yeah, I'm not really worth that."

"Stop it," in a burst of bravery Hal daringly nipped at the skin just under Dave's jaw, teeth briefly digging onto the thin flesh. Dave's breath hitched and his fingers tightened in Hal's hair. At Hal's soft noise of complaint they loosened and resumed their gentle petting.

"I'm just saying we're in this together, Dave. It's not about whose 'worth' one another because I think that debate would just go on forever. We do deserve better- everyone does but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try our best with what we've got and that's what we have to do at the end of the day. _Everyone_ deserves better and it's up to us to help it along however we can. So you can take that argument and throw it in the bin."

"Hal-"

"No!" Hal pried himself away, leaning back enough he could look David in the face, "Don't pull that on me. I don't care what you've done- I care about who you are as a person and you're a person whose trying to better yourself, someone who's treated me with respect and makes me feel safe. So why is it such a terrible notion?"

Dave's blue eyes were unreadable. It felt, fittingly enough, like being pinned by the stare of a snake and Hal was helpless to look away, feeling his face burn under Dave's unyielding scrutiny. Then a horrible thought struck Hal; what if Dave was just being nice? Just tolerating all of his fumbling because he didn't want to shove him away. Instantly Hal felt ashamed for his pushy behaviour.

"If it's just...if you don't want to I understand- you don't need to come up with these reasons," Hal stammered, "You can just say no and I'll, I'll stop bothering you about it."

A sigh then Dave carefully took Hal's chin in hand. Gently David titled Hal's head to the side, studying his face intently. Hal didn't resist the grip, confused as to what Dave was doing. 

Still holding Hal's face, David spoke, "It's not just that, Hal. It's those other two."

"They already know, Dave. I mean, there's Psycho Mantis whose a mind reader not to mention Liquid, um, walked in on us. Anyway aren't those two already...uh..."

"What?"

"I don't know, they just don't seem to like personal space that much around each other is all," Hal bit his lip, unsure. True, he had noticed neither Mantis nor Liquid seem to mind invading each others boundaries with Mantis sometimes draping himself across Liquid's shoulders like a contented cat. He guessed being around a psychic meant personal space meant nothing when you were in each others heads constantly. It sounded oddly comforting, actually. Still, he wasn't sure if those two were involved with each other which just made his mess even more apparent. He hardly knew anything about the two on a personal level beyond a few things here and there he'd read about.

"I'm really not interested in gossiping about Liquid's love life- especially if it involves that skinny creep in the leather. Some mental images I could do without," Dave said, still watching Hal's face.

"Okay, so what are we talking about then? You uh, being..." _Uninterested? Handsy? Giving off so many mixed signals?_

"Just thinking about risks."

"Our whole lives are risks now. I could've choked on a fish bone and died like a minute ago."

"Not on my watch."

Hal rolled his eyes, "Well then you could've died from eating that fish raw. So the 'there are loads of risks' argument doesn't hold weight since anything could happen; we have a dangerous life style as it is, so I think any chance of uh, happiness we can find would be worth the risks. I mean, I could just have a heart attack right now. Or a meteor could hit us and we could all die. Or a rabid bear could show up and break into the cabin-"

Dave's sudden kiss shut Hal up, breath hot and lips chapped as the soldier's mouth covered his own. Hal felt his lungs seize up even as he gave a small startled squeak, instinctively grabbing onto Dave's shoulders.

Despite the forwardness of his action Dave made no effort to kiss him deeper instead keeping his lips shut, a firm, warm pressure against Hal's own. Hal tried to kiss him back, movements sloppy and unsure as he titled his head slightly and knocking his glasses askew. Dave's hand slid up from his chin and into his messy hair, the soldier's other arm snaking around the scientist's waist and pulling the smaller man closer against his side. To stop himself from falling over Hal wound up half sitting on Dave's lap, legs awkwardly sprawled sideways across Dave's muscular thighs and arms now looped around the brunet's neck.

"Um, does that mean you changed your mind?" Hal pulled back slightly, Dave's grip stopping him from moving too far, "Not that I'm complaining at all or uh turning you down, I'm just-"

Dave interrupted him with another kiss, this one messy and open. Hal gave a stifled groan, eyes fluttering shut as he allowed Dave to take the lead. The kiss was wet and hot, Dave's teeth scraping against Hal's lips and tongue sliding against his own. Clinging to him Hal's fingers tugged at Dave's short hair as he tried his best to reciprocate even as a sly thought bubbled up within his mind at how Dave was more of an uncoordinated and sloppy kisser than Liquid.

And Hal really guessed he needed to stop thinking about David's twin while in the midst of kissing the man, pulling away from the kiss even as his face was flushed red with shame and lingering arousal. Dave stared at him with bright blue eyes and wet lips and Hal had to resist the urge to kiss him again.

Swallowing thickly Hal averted his gaze, the guilt of his previous actions rising up inside him like the acidic tang of bile, "I'm sorry, you shouldn't be dealing with me."

"What?" Dave's grip on his hair and waist relaxed slightly but otherwise the soldier seemed genuinely confused.

"No, just me....I should..."

"I swear to god Hal if you try pulling the 'it's not you, it's mean' crap when barely a minute ago you went on your 'we deserve better' speech I'm going to throw you on the floor," Dave threatened.

"Well, maybe it is?" Hal tried to squirm off Dave but the soldier kept a firm hold of him, "I mean, well..." the urge to tell Dave what had happened between him and Liquid earlier was nearly overwhelming but shame kept his mouth glued shut. He was too afraid, afraid he'd push Dave away with his foolish mistake and Hal couldn't bear the prospect. Better to be a coward than lose his best friend.

A calloused thumb brushed against his cheekbone before edging just under the frame of his glasses, resting against the wetness beginning to rim his eyes.

"Shit."

"It's fine," Hal swatted away the hand, blinking rapidly to fight off anymore tears, "I'm just being stupid and emotional, I'm sorry."

"Seriously Hal, tell me to back off and I will."

For a long moment neither of them moved with Hal taking slow, even breaths until he regained his composure. After a beat of silence Hal tentatively touched the wrist of Dave's hand which was still cupping his face before glancing at the soldier inquisitively. The man gazed back evenly; there was no hint of judgement or scorn in his handsome features, just concern and something softer which made the heat in Hal's gut begin to churn. 

Shaking off his anxiety Hal leaned forward and rested his forehead against Dave's, the frames of his glasses digging slightly into his brow. The soldier's scent calmed him, the usual sour tang of cigarettes and gun powder now familiar and soothing.

"Sorry, just being skittish," Hal finally said, eyes half shut. He decided to ignore the entire incident in the kitchen; he was sure it was just a one time thing and it wouldn't happen again. It was Dave who he needed, wanted, right now. Everything else was thrown on the back burner.

Shaking that off Hal tilted his head and kissed Dave softly before murmuring against the soldier's scarred lips, "It's okay."

It was if a switch was flipped; Dave shifted, grabbing onto Hal's waist and shoulder and effortlessly flipped him over so he was lying flat on his back on the mattress. For a brief, dazed moment Hal blinked up at the ceiling, confused as to what just happened. Then Dave was sitting astride him and dragged him into a kiss that rendered him temporarily breathless. With a grunt Dave pulled away and Hal shifted up on one elbow as Dave got up. He opened his mouth to ask if Dave was leaving but instead the man just knelt on the floor before the end of the bed and with a swift movement grabbed Hal's ankles and yanked him down the mattress, making him yelp in surprise. 

A calloused hand roughly hiked up the hem of Hal's sweater, the tips of Dave's fingers rising goosebumps on the sensitive skin of Hal's stomach and he couldn't help but give a stifled noise of complaint, Dave's rough touch aggravating the sore skin there. Immediately David softened his grip, planting a brief kiss on the skin just below Hal's naval in apology before he began mouthing at the soft flesh. Hal wasn't sure what to do, grab at Dave's hair or do something else with his hands but before he could think on it further Dave started working the front of Hal's worn jeans open.

"Wait wait wait," Hal said, panic entering his voice. Dave immediately stilled, breath hot against Hal's abdomen.

"You want me to stop?" David's voice was calm but the heavy flush across his cheeks and the dilation of his eyes spoke a different story.

Embarrassed Hal quickly averted his gaze, voice low as he said, "It's not...it's _demeaning_ for, for you to do this..."

Dave didn't say anything but Hal could feel his thumbs rubbing in small circles on his skin. Then one of the hands slid down, past the waistband of pants and brushed against wiry beginnings of pubic hair and eliciting another panicked yelp from the scientist.

"Dave!"

"Fucking Christ Hal," despite the annoyed words Dave's tone was all amusement, "Seriously, that's what you're worried about?"

"I'm just saying..."

Hal could feel Dave's incredulous stare even if he was staring at the wall, teeth digging into his lip. He felt stupid even saying something in the first place but there was something completely odd at having Solid Snake kneeling on the floor before him, hands which had toppled a nation gripping at the belt of Hal's ragged jeans. 

"You're over thinking again," Hal peeked a glance at Dave and and grimaced at how entertained the soldier looked.

"Well, I'm-"

Dave roughly grabbed the crotch of his pants and causing Hal to inhale sharply, even as the man said, "Just settle down and enjoy this."

"Uh, okay, okay. Rodger that," Hal babbled, a part of him still fairly in disbelief that it was even happening.

He felt dazed almost as Dave removed his belt and tugged down Hal's jeans before stopping. For a long moment Dave was silent then he spoke, voice incredulous, "Pikachu boxers?"

"Shut up, he's cute," Hal grumbled, face beet red with embarrassment.

Hal squeezed his eyes shit, hands pressed firmly to his face as he felt Dave's hands carefully slid his boxers and pants down his hips. He kept himself prone and limp, breath coming in short, fast huffs as the soldier easily tugged the clothing down his legs and tossing the offending garments on the floor before those callused hands grasped his bare hips.

For a moment there was silence broken only by Hal's mortified moan, self-consciousness keeping his eyes still firmly shut and hands covering his face even as his now exposed cock twitched against his thigh. A part of him wanted to look, to see what had caused Dave to still but he felt too embarrassed to do so, instead keeping his hands pressed against his face.

At the first rough touch of Dave's hands on the sensitive skin of the insides of his thighs Hal instinctively twitched and tried to yank his legs away. Dave just grabbed them before pulling Hal further down the bed so his legs were now resting on Dave's shoulders. A part of Hal's brain couldn't comprehend that this was really happening and was babbling disjointedly at him, when Dave's fingertips gently brushed against the side of his cock, cutting off that train of thought and making Hal let out a muffled noise of embarrassment and arousal.

Then his cock was firmly grasped in a calloused hand and Hal let out a squeak. Obviously taking that as encouragement Dave's hand began to slide up and down, the rough touch just shy of painful. Hal's breath came in stuttered gasps, hips moving in tiny, aborted jerks before he groaned loudly when Dave suddenly swiped his tongue along the underside of his hardening cock.

At the brief nip of teeth Hal moan shifted into a yelp, reflectively trying to pull himself away even as his nails dug into his face. A mumbled apology and a soft kiss to the inside of his thigh soothed Hal and he tried to relax before inhaling as his cock was suddenly enveloped in a warm mouth. Hal gave a strangled moan and his hips jerked up as Dave gently sucked on the head of his cock while his hand continued to slide up and down at the base.

Hal tried to keep himself as still as possible out of consideration but as Dave's ministrations continued and arousal began to swamp his mind and body he started to thrust his hips up into the inviting warm. He felt more than heard Dave's low hum and he wanted to grab Dave's hair. Instead he forced himself to keep his hands in place even as his toes started curling and his breathing stuttering as Dave continued to suck on his cock, legs shaking from where they were still slung over the soldier's broad shoulders. It felt so good and Hal was letting out high pitched whines he was hardly aware of, hips jerking up and down with Dave's movements even as the soft sucking began to make him shake as he was steadily pulled closer and closer to orgasm when Dave's hand slid down further and cupped his balls before rolling them in his rough palm.

With a strangled cry Hal came, his thighs instinctively clamped hard around Dave's head but the solider continued to suck on him, swallowing down everything. For a few beats Hal remained ridged before his whole body relaxed, slumping back on the bed in a boneless heap. Dave kissed the inside of his thigh before pulling away. Hal was vaguely aware of Dave moving and was kind enough to put his boxers back on Hal's limp form but on the whole the scientist felt too relaxed and satisfied to protest or help though he couldn't help a shiver as the fabric brushed against his still sensitive cock.

Then hands gently took his wrists and pulled them away from his face and Hal blinked up blearily into Dave's face; the soldier's slightly blurry features were amused but his eyes were bright and there was a red blush staining his cheekbones. It took Hal a few moments to realize he'd knocked his glasses off at one point, hence his off kilter vision but he couldn't bring himself to care or search for them at the moment.

"Um..." Hal's voice was weak and raspy, "Thank you?"

There was a beat of silence then Dave grinned before climbing onto the bed and manhandling Hal until he was tugged up against the soldier's side. In his exhausted state he eagerly snuggled up against Dave, lethargic and sated.

"How you feel?"

"Good, I guess," Hal said, still flushed, "Kinda nauseous but I guess that's just from eating before," he huffed out a breathy giggle, "Wait, does that mean you're my boyfriend now?" 

A snort, "If you want to call us that."

Hal yawned, already feeling like he was about to fall asleep and then was struck with the realization of being fairly sure he was the only one who'd gotten off. He blinked, eyes darting down and noticing the fairly conspicuous bulge in Dave's pants before tentatively asking, "Uh, you alright? Do you need, ah, some help?"

"I'm fine," Dave assured him, "Get some rest. Figured you'll need if everyone goes to shit tonight."

"It'll be fine, you'll see. It'll work out like it did with you. We didn't think it would at first, we just hoped, but we stuck with it and..." Hal couldn't even finish his sentence before he was fast asleep, mouth open slightly as he started snoring softly.

* * *

Hal woke up half lying on top of Dave, face pressed against the man's throat with an arm and leg thrown across the soldier's body. Strong fingers were tangled in Hal's hair, gently messaging his scalp. Blearily he looked around; without his glasses everything was fuzzy but he could still see the sunlight shining through the lone window so he'd obviously not been asleep for that long.

"Sorry," Hal mumbled into Dave's chest, "Didn't mean to have a nap."

"You could use the sleep; your habit of staying up until dawn marathoning anime or playing with nonsensical code doesn't seem to be doing you any favours."

Hal just hummed, slumping back on top of the soldier. He liked naps, he was far better at having them than a full night sleep. Besides there was so much for him to do that he couldn't afford sleeping for eight hours a day like a normal person. Pressed up against Dave's firm side, it was immensely soothing just feeling the soldier's steady breathing and a part of him wanted to fall back into slumber and forget about everything.

But he had things he needed to do, even if Hal was reluctant to move away form Dave's warmth. He nosed at Dave's throat before very reluctantly pulling away, mumbling, "I better contact Mei Ling and talk to her, bring her up to date and see if she'd be ready to talk with those other two. Where are they anyway?"

Dave just made an irritated noise, "Who knows what those two get up to in their spare time. They seem fond of lurking as it is."

"You're acting as if they're sneaking around outside the window or spying from the bushes."

"Wouldn't be surprised."

"Oh stop it you, you're being overly paranoid. That's supposed to be my job. Anyway, considering they supposedly traveled a lot and never stayed in one place I wouldn't be surprised they were just checking out the area. But there could be bears..."

"What is it with you and bears today?" Dave snorted, "Bears aren't that dangerous; they'll usually leave you alone unless you bother them or it's a mother and her cubs. It's moose I'd be more worried about."

"Moose? Aren't they just...Canadian cows? But with antlers?" 

"Hardly. I would rather fight a bear than a moose. Ran into a few of them while in Alaska. At least you know what to expect with a bear."

Hal didn't argue further. Even as a child he was never an outdoorsy person, preferring to stay holed up in his room. He always just thought moose were like lanky versions of cows but judging by Dave's reaction he was fairly far off.

Reluctantly he climbed over Dave, nearly falling face first on the floor when his foot caught on the blanked only for Dave's hands to grab his hips, steadying him. Hal mumbled a thanks only for his breath to hitch when Dave's hands slid underneath the hem of his sweater and traced along the skin of his sides. With a hum he slumped back into Dave's grip as the man started to press kisses along the sensitive nape of his neck, hot breath ruffling Hal's tangled hair.

His knee hitting the bedside table jarred Hal out of his trace and he gave a yelp as he nearly fell back onto Dave. Hal struggled to get up, especially when Dave trying to wrap his arms around him.

With a groan Hal pulled away, protesting, "I really need to talk to Mei Ling and I can't do that if you're distracting me." 

"Alright fine," Dave let go of Hal and the sudden lack of anchor nearly made Hal fall over, "I'll leave you to your computer, while I'll just be lonely with my guns in the other room."

Hal quickly turned his attention to the table, snatching up his discarded glasses as he said, "Okay, so I did kind of fall asleep before without um...well, I'll find a way to make it up to you? Later?"

A huff of laughter then a calloused hand ran quickly through his hair even as he heard Dave murmur, "I'll hold you to that."

For a long mortified moment Hal stared at the wall before awkwardly putting his glasses back onto his burning face, still fairly taken aback he'd essentially propositioned Dave. Not that he was adverse to it he just was never particularly forward. Biting back his embarrassment Hal opened his mouth as he turned around only to blink as he saw the door click shut. 

_I keep on forgetting how sneaky he is,_ Hal thought. How Dave managed to slide past him without him noticing was impressive, though Hal allowed the fact he didn't exactly have a high perception of his surroundings and not just because he had to wear glasses. 

Shaking that off he half climbed half fell into the desk chair, carefully pulling his laptop towards him on the table and opening it up. He felt nervous, almost giddy, about the fact he and Dave were now lovers. At least he was fairly sure they were, he wasn't sure what Dave would call them or their situation. Even if a part of Hal felt bad about not reciprocating properly; he had no real experience in this area as he freely admitted his previous relationship was hardly healthy and resulted in a lot of tragedy. He hoped his new one would be better, even if a more nihilist part of his mind was of the opinion he and Dave were at risk of either being outright killed or elaborately executed by firing squad, so tragedy was something he still could potentially find himself in.

Besides, it seemed like their favour was changing for the better and dwelling on the potential negative consequences of everything just made him depressed. Things were getting better and that's what Hal decided to focus his attention on.

A sudden _blip!_ from his laptop snapped him out of his thoughts as the messenger window opened on screen; Mei Ling apparently beat him to the punch and contacted him first

  
  
Pinyin has sent Otakon a message!   
  
Pinyin: okay so i think nat mentioned ive got some mg stuff for u guys   
Pinyin: so good news first the location is also still in canada so you guys wont have to move too much  
Pinyin: i know how hindering jetlag can be :/   
Pinyin: tho i dont know if super soldiers get jetlag???   
Pinyin: or psychis idk ill have to ask   
Otakon: Oh hey, Mei.  
Pinyin: so i caught u?   
Pinyin: good!  
Pinyin: i dunno how long itll take transferring these files since well need to drip them across   
Pinyin: again   
Pinyin: so much suspicion yuck!   
Otakon: Actually I wanted to talk to you about that.   
Pinyin: yeah?   
Otakon: Well...   
Otakon: I was thinking, maybe that would be a good time to uh...   
Otakon: Introduce yourself to our two new members?   
Pinyin: !   
Pinyin: okay   
Otakon: That was easy.   
Pinyin: it was kind of the obs answer   
Pinyin: i mean ill need to talk to them eventually right????   
Pinyin: especially since u guys have a new mission and ill be on codex call   
Pinyin: itll be probably rly awkward if we have no intros then im just 'hello! :)' on the codex and they're 'who is this'   
Otakon: Yes.   
Otakon: I've been arguing with Dave all week so I'm expecting his stubbornness from everyone.   
Otakon: Anyway, this whole Metal Gear thing will be a good ice breaker because then you'll have a topic? Rather than just calling and trying to talk...   
Otakon: That would probably go awkward fast.   
Otakon: Well maybe not for Liquid Snake, he's fairly charismatic.  
Otakon: Psycho Mantis on the other hand...   
Otakon: To say he isn't a people person is a bit of an understatement I feel.   
Pinyin: im stuck around army brats all day i can handle those two   
Pinyin: besides its not like they can murderlize me through the computer   
Otakon: ...   
Pinyin: ...   
Pinyin: he cant can he?   
Otakon: Truthfully? I don't know.   
Otakon: Psycho Mantis is...well, he's not really like anyone we've encountered.   
Otakon: Even if he seems more fond of picking fights than Liquid Snake.   
Otakon: Actually, I don't think so. He's just a fairly angry person.   
Pinyin: D:   
Pinyin: what did he do??   
Otakon: Where did I say he did anything?   
Pinyin: >:/   
Otakon: Well okay, something DID happen but it's no big deal!   
Otakon: We spoke, he yelled, he strangled me a bit with his psychics, then he left me alone.   
Otakon: Okay, story time over! So how are you doing to introduce yourself?   
Pinyin: oh no u dont!   
Pinyin: whats this about strangling????   
Otakon: Okay 'attempted crushing' would probably be a more accurate term.   
Pinyin: ?!   
Otakon: It was attempted! He didn't go through with it! I hardly ache anymore.   
Pinyin: no, details now!   
Pinyin: or i go tell solid!   
Otakon: Oh come on, I already told him!   
Pinyin: dont u lie   
Pinyin: if u told solid EXACTLY what happened i'd be getting 'oh noes there is death + fighting' messages!   
Pinyin: i bet u omitted the attacking part   
Otakon: So what if I did?   
Otakon: You know David would've gone all over protective. Anyway, I uh, provoked Psycho Mantis a bit.   
Otakon: Anyway, we're all fine now.   
Pinyin: r u sure?   
Otakon: Yes, I'm sure.   
Pinyin: hmm   
Pinyin: well in that case   
Pinyin: how did it feel?   
Otakon: What did?   
Pinyin: this is probably a uh really awkward question   
Pinyin: but the being attacked by psycho mantis thing!!   
Pinyin: u mentioned psychics- unless u meant 'psychic' and he just punched you or something   
Otakon: Oh he didn't punch me.   
Otakon: He actually grabbed me with his psychics somehow?   
Pinyin: :O   
Otakon: I know!   
Otakon: It was so scary at the time, because I could _feel_ something freezing me in place but I could see nothing?   
Otakon: But it was just so inescapable and...not physical, it was so scary but later on it was so amazing?   
Otakon: I've never heard of something like this before.   
Pinyin: oh wow   
Pinyin: like im not glad u were attacked but that sounds so amazing!   
Otakon: In a weird way I'm the same?   
Otakon: I mean I'm one of the few people in the world who've met him _and_ been attacked by his abilities and not died horrendously.   
Otakon: It's so...   
Otakon: Surreal.   
Pinyin: omg   
Pinyin: okay now im REALLY eager to meet him   
Pinyin: like he sounds so cranky and super scary but how many ppl have actually been   
Pinyin: idk   
Pinyin: team mates??? is that the word??   
Pinyin: since 'friend' is...way off and 'acquaintance' is too disjointed   
Otakon: I guess so?   
Otakon: But it is exciting.   
Otakon: Oh wow, I think being on the run for so long has warped me.   
Pinyin: :P   
Pinyin: dont blame you, like even here in the code monkey area in the military i hear rumours about these guys and yeah i would be fairly excited if some angry psychic strangled me  
Pinyin: well non lethally :/   
Otakon: Oh my gosh, we're all warped.   
Otakon: But you have a place you'll be tonight?   
Pinyin: yes its totally secure, ill just need a bit to tweak some things but ill be ready for tonight   
Pinyin: also well see if our new team mates like me   
Otakon: Oh they will!   
Otakon: Well even if they don't Liquid Snake would probably pretend he does.   
Otakon: Psycho Mantis would be fairly upfront if he doesn't like you.  
Otakon: Then again he doesn't seem to like anyone.   
Otakon: You can hardly make a more terrible impression that I did.   
Pinyin: hey if he tries mind strangling me thru the computer then well be on the same page   
Otakon: I don't know if he can do that.   
Pinyin: well either way it cant be more awkward than meeting solid   
Otakon: He wasn't that bad!   
Otakon: The flirting was a bit...awkward, I guess.   
Pinyin: gee i wonder y u think that >:P  
Otakon: Hey!   
Pinyin: oh come on! anyway i think its like a reflex thing w him?   
Pinyin: just flirt w any lady in his general vicinity?   
Pinyin: honestly i cant count how many times ive had army boys hit on me   
Pinyin: at least solid backs off if u get annoyed :/   
Pinyin: cant say the same for some of the other men >:(   
Otakon: :(   
Pinyin: basically   
Pinyin: but anyway!   
Pinyin: im going to have to start preparing   
Pinyin: ill probably try and write some kind of speech maybe??? just so i know the general feel of where im gonna go w those two  
Pinyin: any advice?   
Otakon: Uh.   
Otakon: Try not to get personal?   
Otakon: That's what made Psycho Mantis get mad at me.   
Otakon: So just try not doing that!   
Otakon: And hopefully you won't mess up like I did, even if Psycho Mantis forgave me for it.   
Pinyin: okay dully noted  
Pinyin: ill try some other things as well but either way ill contact u tonight so we can go over the plans together??   
Otakon: Of course!   
Otakon: I'll make sure all of them are nearby so just send me a message and I'll fetch them so we can start.  
Pinyin: sounds like a plan! :)   
Pinyin: it prob sounds weird but im excited :/   
Otakon: No it doesn't sound weird. Getting new team mates is always exciting.   
Otakon: So I'll leave you to it?   
Pinyin: k   
Otakon: Wait, um.  
Pinyin: yeah?   
Otakon: Well there was   
Otakon: ...  
Otakon: No, never mind, it isn't important.   
Otakon: I'll talk to you later.   
Pinyin: :?   
Pinyin: okay? u know u can tell me anything   
Otakon: I know!   
Otakon: It was just something that wasn't really important.   
Otakon: Just me being dramatic as usual.   
Pinyin: okay :)   
Pinyin: c u later   
Otakon: Bye!   
  
Pinyin has gone offline!   
  


* * *


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

It was easy for Liquid to locate Mantis; all he had to do was follow the churned up earth and the angry buzzing within his mind until he came across the psychic in the middle of a clearing in the forest, sitting cross legged on a mossy boulder. His long, spidery fingers were tapping a meaningless rhythm on the stone, a dissatisfied hiss emanating from him when Liquid stepped out from the thick pine trees ringing the clearing. The air around the psychic was warping slightly, as if twisting heatwaves were emanating from his lankly frame.

Momentarily ignoring Mantis, the soldier glanced over at the far end of the clearing and saw a doe dangling from a branch nearly twenty feet in the air; it had been hurled hard enough at the tree the branch had completely impaled it, sticks, leaves and ribs jutting from its mangled sides.

"Ah, what did this poor cervidae ever do to you?" Liquid said, amusement heavy in his voice as he watched the doe's blood steadily drip from the tip of the knotted branch.

"Nothing, it was simply convenient," Mantis snorted, rolling his lanky shoulders, "It's fairly lackluster killing animals. They just don't _feel_ like humans do."

"Figured that would be a comfort."

Mantis made an irritated noise, propping his chin up in a bony hand, "No. It isn't. You know that."

"Ah, is this still about Emmerich? Honestly, you're not even that annoyed at what he said; at this point you're just irritated he didn't react how you want. You're irritated he wouldn't play your game."

"So what if I am? Are you the one with the monopoly on overreacting?"

"I react appropriately towards the situation."

The psychic didn't respond beyond a snort but Liquid could feel some of the burning anger emanating from Mantis ease slightly with amusement. Unconcerned Liquid approached him, the heat increasing with his closing proximity before Mantis shook himself like a wet dog and the heat vanished. Mantis slowly pulled himself upright, movements jerky and uncoordinated like a puppet being dragged on its strings. He looked like a demented fae, hovering a few inches above the mossy boulder with his shoulders hunkered down and bony arms spread out slightly. Even the warm, dappled sunlight streaming through the thick foliage did nothing to ease his sharply angled frame; if anything the placidity of the surrounding nature just highlighted how unnatural he seemed, all white skin and black clothing as he slowly floated up and down like a wraith, even as his thick raspy breath echoed loudly through the clearing and disrupted the gentle songs of the birds and calm whisper of the wind.

Watching him Liquid felt immensely incited by the emaciated psychic, a sensation that was obvious felt on Mantis's end as his thoughts became muddied with contempt and grudging gratification. With a huff Mantis unfolded his long body, straightening up his posture and crossing his thin arms across his chest. He drifted closer but stayed out of arms reach, to Liquid's irritation.

"So, what wisdom do you wish to bestow upon me?" Mantis said, voice thick with sarcasm, "Since you're here bothering me. Though that's _clearly_ not the main reason you sought me out, judging by your irritatingly excited mood."

"Maybe I just wanted to see how you were doing. Express some sincere concern for my dear companion."

Mantis's scoff spoke for itself even as he drifted closer to Liquid. Still not close enough for Liquid to grab him but close enough Liquid could see his narrowed eyes through the orange-tinted lenses of his gas mask as he said, "Oh please, don't condescend me."

"I'm not," Liquid shrugged, shifting his weight onto one leg, "You were in quite the vicious mood earlier."

"I got over it."

"Hmph. So you say. Either way you scared Emmerich to tears within a week."

"I'm loosing my touch, then."

Liquid had to concede to that, "True. Such a sensitive man he is."

"More like stupid naive boy. I would be doing him a mercy, really, killing him back there," Mantis said. His voice was less hostile and more contemplative than anything, even if he still had the rage lurking underneath his cooling demeanor like the embers of a dying fire.

Inching closer to his companion Liquid said, "Hm, he does seem very ignorant. Willfully or unintentionally, I'm still quite unsure."

"Oh you love it," Mantis snorted, "A sheltered little fool for you to play with while his watchdog glowers at you."

"I admit, Solid is being quite the tough nut to crack. But he was nigh amicable before. Of course, that was before he knew of your little snit towards his meek lover," Liquid said.

"He still doesn't know," Mantis replied, a laugh in his voice, "Emmerich lied- told your brother it was no big deal and all I did was shout at him."

That made Liquid pause. He wasn't precisely sure why Emmerich chose to defend Mantis. Perhaps it was through some misguided attempt to keep any fighting within Philanthropy to a minimum- since he and Mantis had already discussed that the current highest risk to the anti-Metal Gear organization was being destroyed from the inside -or in an effort to protect Mantis from lethal retribution from Solid. Liquid had little doubt that Solid was still immensely suspicious and wary of the two of them, even if he seemed to loosen up in the conversation Liquid had with him earlier.

Either way, it was a strange route Emmerich chose. However Liquid guessed it was the one with the least potential violence, something Emmerich seemed inordinately fond of. He had no idea how the scientist wasn't dead yet and was curious as to how he even survived Zanzibarland in the first place. He'd have to ask Emmerich at a later point.

Directing his attention back to the bored psychic hovering a few feet away from him Liquid asked, "Now tell me, are you planning on further messing around with that frail little man's head for his actions?"

Mantis rolled his eyes, "Hardly. I'll have you know I can be extremely conciliatory when the mood happens to strike me."

"Truly."

"You should know. Besides, I didn't kill the foolish little man and it would've been pathetically easy. That should tell you how _merciful_ I was feeling earlier."

"So you say."

"What do you care for, anyway?" Mantis asked. Liquid attempted to grab at the skinny man but Mantis drifted a few feet back, crossed arms tightening across his bony chest as he glared.

Liquid just smiled, "Your anger is giving me a headache. You know me, I'm typically all for vengeance and retribution but at this point you aren't even truly angry. You're just continuing to hold onto this as something to do."

"It's so boring here. So...tranquil," Mantis said, disgust thick in his voice, "How those two can sit around doing nothing besides flailing at each other like two emotionally stunted college students is a mystery to me. However..." here a sly note entered his voice, "Those two have certainly reconciled their differences."

"Hm, about time. Maybe my dear brother will relax now that he _finally_ decided to return Emmerich's affections. I'm not even the mind reader and that blatant pining was getting irritating even if it was mildly amusing."

Mantis just made a low noise in his throat and Liquid grabbed at him again. This time Mantis didn't move away, allowing Liquid to seize his hips and pull him close enough that the muzzle of Mantis's gas mask bumped against Liquid's forehead. With a huff Mantis unfolded his arm and draped them across Liquid's bare shoulders, nails briefly biting into the clone's skin.

"Oh I see, so you _did_ have ulterior motives in seeking me out," Mantis said. His voice was just as neutral as his mind.

Liquid just hummed, pulling Mantis hard up against him and nuzzling at the pale expanse of throat before him. Mantis growled lowly but otherwise didn't stop him from mouthing at his jugular, nose bumping against the bottom of the psychic's mask. The smell of leather, pine needles and the faint whiff of blood filled Liquid's nostrils and Mantis's nails dug into the naked skin of his back, hard enough that he drew blood and making Liquid shiver slightly.

There was nothing soft about Mantis; his body was all sharp angles and protruding joints, sickly white skin stretched tight over his long bones. Liquid liked that about him, enjoying the lack of softness to the psychic's body as he pressed them both backwards until he had Mantis pinned against the broad trunk of one of the trees ringing the clearing. Eagerly he shifted one hand and tugged Mantis's black tank top upwards, baring the skin of his stomach.

Numerous spidery lines coloured the pale flesh of Mantis's abdomen, the stretch marks permanent remnants of his extreme height spurt through adolescent into adulthood. Liquid still remembered how bemused he was when he reunited with his old friend and got some semblance of his sanity back, confusion at how the undersized runt of a boy had grown up into an eerily tall man with overly stretched limbs.

Now he had to tilt his head up to look his friend in the eyes even with him pinning Mantis against the tree. Despite their positioning they both knew Mantis could easily escape his grasp if he wished it. However it seemed the psychic was willing to indulge him for the time being.

With one hand Liquid kept dragging his fingers over the concave of Mantis's stomach, using his hips to pin the psychic against the tree as his other hand reached up and started to undo the straps of Mantis's mask with an ease born of years of practice. Mantis didn't stop him, instead just grumbling under his breath and making no effort to help Liquid.

With a soft noise the gas mask fell onto the grassy ground and Mantis gave him an irritated look, the expression marred somewhat by his long, effeminate eyelashes. Liquid had always been immensely fond of Mantis's scarred face, from the first moment he'd seen it all those years ago as a child; At the vacant space of Mantis's seared off nose, of the long snake-like scar stretching from the right corner of his mouth, the soft burn tissue disfiguring the lower left of his face, of the surgery scars ringing his pale skull.

A sneer twisted Mantis's mouth, obviously sensing Liquid's thoughts. Rather than speak he chose to lean up and kiss Mantis, his lips and tongue briefly running along the old scarring of the psychic's lips before Mantis bit him hard enough he drew blood and making Liquid pull back.

He grinned, blood rapidly staining his bottom lip, "Hm, so feisty."

"I'll show you feisty in a minute," Mantis growled.

Despite his irritated words the psychic still didn't teleport out of his grip, his long fingers flexing on Liquid's shoulders. Without hesitation Liquid kissed him again, the tang of blood sharp in their mouths. Their teeth clacked against each others and Liquid's nose brushed against the ragged skin surrounding the hole of Mantis's missing one.

Liquid shifted, a hand gripping the nape of Mantis's neck while the other slid around the psychic's narrow back, the bark of the tree digging into his skin. Ignoring it Liquid pulled back slightly from the kiss, pressing his lips against the deceptively soft burn tissue on Mantis's face and making his way down before starting to mouth along the pale slope of Mantis's throat, licking at the thin skin and inhaling deeply.

Mantis didn't resist or shove him away but neither did he initiate anything beyond the long bloody furrows his nails were slowly making down Liquid's shoulder blades. Their thoughts and feelings were shifting against one another, Liquid's thick with growing arousal and need while Mantis's were more sedate, mainly filled with amusement faintly tinted with disgust.

With a grunt he hefted Mantis up until he was rutting up against him in earnest, blood running from his bitten lip and staining the sickly white skin of Mantis's throat before biting him. In response a long-fingered hand tangled itself in his blond hair and yanked so viciously it ripped out a fair amount. The pain and pleasure rolled together and he grinned against Mantis's throat, feeling more than hearing the exasperated noise the other man made.

He went to slide his hand down the back of Mantis's leather pants but the psychic's warning snarl stopped him and with a roll of his eyes Liquid stopped, fingers digging into Mantis's bony hip instead even as his breath came in tight and hot. A low throaty growl emanated from Liquid's throat as he rhythmically rolled his hips, his cock thick and still trapped within the tight confine of his pants but he didn't care. Instead he pressed himself even closer to Mantis, bark digging into his hands and burning lines of pain being torn open on his back which only fed into his arousal.

It was rough and messy, neither caring for any semblance of gentleness with Mantis staying near aloof as Liquid rutted against him, blood running down Liquid's naked back and a matching stain around his bitten lips as his breath grew thick and heavy.

Then he stiffened in place, breath seizing up in his lungs as he released, fingers digging into Mantis's neck and hip hard enough to bruise. Then it was over and he was slumping against the psychic, his weight still pinning the Russian to the tree even as Liquid's body shuddered from the aftermath.

Mantis spoke, voice rough, "Eurgh, you made a mess. Disgusting."

"Oh don't complain; I kept my pants on this time," Liquid said, face still pressed into the crook of Mantis's bony neck.

"As I said, a mess."

"There is a marvelous invention called a washing machine."

The psychic growled, "But really, this is the second time in a month you've bothered me with this."

Liquid hummed, pulling back slightly from Mantis, "One of the downsides to all this ridiculously calm environment, I'm afraid. Nothing to help me burn off my energy, what with the lack of human hunting and people for me to kill."

"Not to mention you super soldiers seem to be ridiculously needy in terms of libido," Mantis said, somehow making 'libido' sound like a swear word, "So no, you won't be getting a second round of this from me today."

"You wound me," Liquid teased, grinning with blood stained teeth. He was sweaty and the inside of the crotch of his pants were stained with cum but otherwise he felt better than he had all week. He _had_ been getting fairly agitated from the lack of fighting which in turn made his sex drive veer sharply up, something obviously not unnoticed by his displeased companion.

With a sigh Mantis shifted back, still pinned to the tree as he rubbed at his temple with a bloody hand, "I'll do worse. Honestly, the sooner you find a way to get Emmerich and Solid into having sex with you the better. Then I won't have to deal with your neediness."

"Ah, and here I thought you enjoyed it."

The flat look Mantis gave him spoke volumes even with both of them knowing Mantis never become aroused during the previous frottage session. Liquid wasn't offended though, instead raising an eyebrow as he said, "Those two are a bit more annoying to crack. Well Emmerich hardly is, considering his previous behaviour. But for my darling brother...I _do_ think I have a way," Liquid grinned.

"Good; I'm sure that's the main reason any of these readers chose to click on this fanfiction in the first place anyway."

"What?"

Mantis made an irritated noise in his throat, "Look, all I'm saying is the sooner you sort this out the better off we'll be, especially since..." he let out a low exhale, "especially since you seem fairly eager to see this Philanthropy thing through to whatever end we find ourselves in. Those two obviously have enough inane issues of their own but honestly it's just getting ridiculous, what with Emmerich's sexual pining over the two of you."

"And here I thought you were enjoying it."

"I am but even I have my limits. The paranoia I can deal with; the rampant guilt and sexual shame I can do without. Makes me want to vomit or at least hit him."

"Oh you terrified the poor thing to tears last time," Liquid said, amused, "Such a... _empathetic_ man. I am curious as to how he even survived his imprisonment in Zanzibarland if all it takes to make him break down is some yelling and rough handling. Ah well, at least Solid seems to enjoy babysitting him, guarding him like a loyal hound might."

Mantis just made a derisive noise, nails briefly digging into the bloody marks on Liquid's shoulder blades and causing Liquid to bite his neck hard enough the psychic snarled.

"Stop it; I've already lowered myself to indulge you once today," Mantis snapped.

"Once today? Hm, seems you're getting generous."

The vicious yank on his hair was expected, along with Mantis's irritated voice snapping, "I'm getting annoyed. I may be magnanimous right now doesn't mean I desire to see this continue, what with you getting so obnoxiously needy towards me. I have limits."

"You love it."

A grunt was Mantis's only response and at the psychic's non verbal que Liquid reluctantly pulled away from him, skin sweaty and pants sticky. The bark had skinned a fair amount of the flesh on his forearm and blood was still seeping from the bloody furrows on his back. His bitten mouth had already stopped bleeding and Liquid tongued at the wound as he watched Mantis psychically yank up his previously discarded gas mask and began to strap it back on with practiced movements.

"He likes you, you know," Mantis's voice was thoughtful as he finished tugging on the final strap of his mask.

Liquid didn't need to be told who this person was, "Truly? Here I thought his blatant staring was just abject fascination."

"Perhaps towards _me._ The stupid little gremlin can't get over his awe towards me. It's well deserved, obviously, and at least it's not the lust-fueled fascination he holds towards you. He feels so horrendously guilty about it near instantaneously afterwards; it seems he thrives on guilt despite trying to absolve everyone else from it."

"He was very quick in blaming himself for your reactions," Liquid said, absently eyeing one of the bite marks on Mantis's pale throat.

"Like I said, stupid."

"Ah well. Suppose I should go and take a shower, or just jump in that lake," Liquid shrugged, "Since you seem so offended by my current state. Also our 'team mates' must be so worried by now, since you left in such a grand huff before."

"Bah, those two are too busy fornicating at the moment to care," Mantis replied, tucking his tank top back into his pants and shaking himself off slightly like a wet dog, "How primitive of the two."

"Yet we aren't?" Liquid asked with a smirk, already knowing the psychic's answer.

"It's because we are better than them," came Mantis's smug reply before he vanished in a swirl of smoke.

Liquid's only response was to laugh.

* * *

 


	10. Chapter 10

* * *

Dave was currently sitting on the couch in the lounge in the living room of the old cabin, methodically cleaning one of his pistols. He'd spent nearly an hour after his incident with Hal in his own room cleaning a few of his rifles before the obnoxious fumes forced him into a more ventilated area.

Truthfully he didn't really need to clean his guns; the lack of actual fighting recently meant there wasn't any buildup in the weapons but it was more as something to do than a necessity. Even before the whole Zanzibarland incident occurred Dave always liked to keep a close eye on his personal weapons and after that it became more of a paranoid impulse as well as something to help pass the time. Hunting Metal Gear was fairly lackluster work at times, due to the colossal walking nuclear tanks still being a fairly rare commodity and rarer still that they came to production. Not to say they only dealt with rumours and ghosts, but a lot of Philanthropy was devoted to _chasing_ all the rumours and ghosts which would occasionally reveal solid truth and only then would Dave be sent to deal with that. 

So yes, at times it was severely boring and Dave had nothing to do apart from lie in wait while Hal dealt with the computer hunting aspect of everything along side Mei Ling. 

In that case he felt like the most useless member in Philanthropy at times; Meryl and Mei Ling had their covert operation going on with the military, which kept them constantly on alert and paranoid, with Natasha meanwhile being public with her opposition of Metal Gear and nuclear warfare in general. Both of these states put them at risk, such as Meryl and Mei Ling sharing national secrets and sealed documents with them- and Meryl abusing her blood ties with Colonel Campbell even if Dave was fairly convinced that Campbell already knew about Meryl's affiliation with the group -which meant if the American government caught them they'd both be tied for treason and either imprisoned or executed. Natasha meanwhile had no shame about her hate towards Metal Gear and was nearly arrested on several separate occasions due to either protesting or, in one incident, outright punching someone complicate in Metal Gear.

That also led to Dave helping arrange Natasha's late husband's 'accident' but that was neither here nor there.

But in general Dave was idle, being the brute force behind Philanthropy. He would freely admit he was no use on the technical front; he had no idea about coding or whatever it was Mei Ling and Hal spent their time chatting with one another over. Even speaking with Meryl over military matters would become straining at times, the young woman's blatant fascination and hero worship of him setting his teeth on edge after being exposed to it for too long. Mei Ling was sweet and cute, so little wonder she got along so well with Hal and while Dave did amuse himself by teasing her at times like Hal sometimes her fervent belief in the general goodness of humanity and almost naive personality made him exhausted and feeling inordinately old. 

Natasha, on the other hand, had lived long enough to have experience about life in general. She was also older than Dave, which was a commodity in on itself and Hal occasionally joked at how she was the 'Mother of Philanthropy' and considering how the iron-willed woman managed to keep Philanthropy alive through its conception from Hal, to gaining Mei Ling and Meryl, convincing Dave himself to join and eventually siding with the idea to endorse Liquid and Mantis which tipped the entire balance to the recruiters favour it seemed a fair enough point.

Truthfully Dave enjoyed speaking with Natasha and if anything he wanted to speak more often with her. She was fearless to a point he'd rarely seen even with a gun in her face and it was mainly her that convinced him to join with Philanthropy in the first place, though the subsequent months being paired with Hal was what finally cemented his loyalty towards the group and in hindsight Dave assumed that was Natasha's plan all a long when she announced she'd be leaving them together. She'd also sent him a fairly interesting book called 'Stinger' about some alien bounty hunter that Dave was still unsure if he liked it or not.

Natasha also didn't criticize his smoking habits, which was a welcome relief considering Meryl, Mei Ling and Hal always gave him an earful about it. In that case she was his favourite. In all others...Hal was mostly it, for various reasons.

As for Psycho Mantis and Dave's smug, arrogant blond twin he was unsure. Mantis was still just some strange, unknowable creature of unfathomable power that Dave was still ridiculously uneasy about, and as time passed and seeing the disturbing ease at which the man seemingly violated the basic laws of nature the more convinced Dave was that the emaciated man wasn't even truly human, though his cantankerous attitude made it hard for Dave to hold him in any kind of awe like Hal did. Liquid Snake however, was obnoxious, snide and insidious with Dave getting the strangest feeling the man either wanted to fight him or take a literal bite out of him with the way the other clone would occasionally leer at him. Not to mention his behaviour towards Hal, but Dave was unsure if the man just behaved that way towards everyone he came across. Could be, considering the fairly relentless teasing he'd direct towards his psychic companion who clearly didn't like it so Dave was more and more convinced Liquid was just fairly lustful towards social interactions and getting inside peoples personal space in general. He could be one of those who enjoyed to just watch people _squirm._

Dave hated those kinds of people, especially if it involved torture. Dave viewed killing more as a job than anything- he still didn't want to brood on Liquid's earlier mocking words to him -through his service in the military, FOXHOUND and now within Philanthropy. It was something he tried to do painlessly and as quickly as possible, and he regarded those who dealt unwarranted pain on their opponents, or caught joy out of it, to be scum. Killing should be done quickly and efficiently; drawing it out was something he found repulsive and even now he found how he killed Big Boss in Zanzibarland with extreme distaste. Regardless of the man's crimes, burning to death seemed an immensely hideous way to die and even now Dave would occasionally catch a whiff of the vile stench of melting flesh through his occasionally bout of nightmares.

If Liquid truly was one of those men who enjoyed inflicting wanton pain upon his prey for the sole intention of causing it then Dave could understand his current interest towards Hal. In terms of sadism it could not just mean physical pain and honestly Dave wasn't too sure just _what_ he would do if Hal died under his watch. Kill Liquid and Mantis, most likely. Or try to anyway. Dave didn't really want to admit it but if he ended up being forced to fight Liquid Snake and Psycho Mantis together in a fight he'd probably die. It would be an interesting battle, however. Of that Dave had no doubt.

As for Hal, Dave felt equal parts elated and apprehensive in his relationship upgrade with the scientist. He'd certainly chosen a dangerous time to do so but he did agree with Hal that life was too short to not try it anyway even if he disagreed with the man's assessment of him. But still, Dave felt on edge mainly due to his twin's proximity and Dave's terrible track record with relationships. At least with Liquid Dave was fairly sure he'd pick up anything untoward the blond tried and he was still unable to pin down Mantis's motives even if his earlier hissy fit towards Hal gave Dave the opinion of a child throwing a tantrum or pulling the wings off a fly, even if said man in question was the most powerful psychic on the planet. But at least those two couldn't really be complicate in Dave inadvertently stuffing his relationship with Hal up if he wasn't careful so the mercenary would just have to admit to himself he didn't have good experience in that field.

Dave hadn't missed how Hal had grimaced or protested earlier if Dave handled him in any manner approaching rough- clearly Hal wasn't one to enjoy any kind of pain, even just bruising, when it came to intimacy. That did make it a bit difficult, as Dave had to forcibly hold himself back to avoid inadvertently hurting the scientist in his worked up state back when they were both in the bedroom. It had been frustrating, just holding Hal after the smaller man fell asleep but Dave had enough experience in controlling his urges, especially when Hal was so different compared with anyone he'd previously been involved in. Still, his body still felt twitchy and strung out, unable to sate his more lascivious urges on the scientist- which had never been an issue back in the military as all his partners had the same mindset of rough and quick in terms of bed partners. Frank in particular immensely enjoyed pain and due to Dave's deeply buried sadism he hadn't shied away from lavishing Grey Fox with it. With Hal Dave knew that the man would most likely never enjoy such tactics and Dave was still fairly lost in how to do 'gentle' and a part of him, which he didn't want to admit, missed the almost vicious sex he'd previously indulged in and didn't enjoy the prospect of giving it up.

With a grunt Dave worked the bore brush into the barrel of the pistol, pushing it back and forth down the full length of the bore to clean out any build up of debris. He'd probably been doing that for the better part of ten minutes now, just mulling over his current situation while bored. At least the couch in the cabin living room was more comfortable than his bed in his room and he was going through the practiced motions of cleaning his pistol while staring blankly at the floor. He'd been there long enough the rays of sunlight streaming through the wide windows had thickened into those approaching the sunset and the air within the room had begun to cool.

The only noise was the soft noise of the bristles of the bore brush twisting back and forth within the gun barrel, the soft bird calls and calm wind rustling the trees outside and, at the very edge of his hearing, the occasional click of computer keys down the hall from Hal's room. It was tranquil.

Of course as his lot in life the peace didn't last and the front door to the cabin swung open on squeaky hinges. That was the only alert he got to Liquid's appearance, since Dave already knew Mantis didn't bother using doors. Otherwise the man was silent, and if it wasn't for Dave's unnaturally sensitive hearing he would've missed the soft noise of the thick leather of Liquid's boots shifting across the wooden floor, of the near inaudible whisper of long hair brushing against skin.

Liquid was subconsciously being quiet, an instinct so ingrained it was second nature. Dave understood and felt grudging respect over it though the blond's silence clearly didn't translate over to his social skills, an annoyance Liquid proved once again when he stepped into the lounge and spotted Dave sitting on the couch.

"Ah, there you are _dear_ brother," the British drawl caused Dave to tense slightly, despite already knowing the man was there. Liquid just automatically put him on edge, and the man hadn't even been around for a full week.

"I hadn't left," Dave replied shortly, shoving the bore brush down the barrel of the pistol again in a fairly violent manner.

"Hm, guess you had to keep that little friend of yours company," Liquid said in an airy tone as he walked past the couch. As he did the blond pivoted sharply and peered down at the dismantled gun held in Dave's hand, with missing pieces carefully placed on the arm of the couch next to the brunet. When Liquid turned, droplets of water splattered against Dave's head and chest and he looked up sharply.

Dave shot Liquid an irritated look, noticing that the man was completely soaked from head to toe, with his khaki pants clinging to his legs and water running down his bare chest, "What happened to you?"

"Took a refreshing dip in the lake," Liquid said, tossing his head and sending more droplets flying everywhere. He grinned at Dave who stared blankly back at him.

"Really."

"Mantis took umbridge with my state, so I chose to clean up in a brisk manner."

"He takes umbridge with lots of things, I gather."

"True, he's high maintenance but so are the best of us," Liquid's smile now had an edge to it Dave didn't like, with him being unable to make out whether it was friendly or not. Liquid in general seemed to invoke that response with him, the blond man having an almost feral air to him at times that set Dave's instincts on high alert. He got the impression Liquid wanted to take a bite out of him sometimes. The blond did seem to be the kind of person who'd use his teeth in a fight, and his earlier comments about cannibalism didn't help Dave's suspicions.

"What do you want, anyway?" Dave shifted his gaze back onto his pistol, rolling the bore brush.

"Maybe I just came by to get to know you better," Liquid said, "I fear we haven't exactly...meshed," with that Liquid slunk around him until he was sitting next to Dave. Due to his saturated state his water-logged pants began to soak into the fabric of the couch. He didn't care, instead shifting so he was only a few inches from Dave's side, who gritted his teeth behind an impassive frown.

"What do you want to know?" Dave finally grunted out.

"Oh this and that. We did briefly touch upon our histories back there, before the whole snit thing with Emmerich and Mantis," Liquid sniffed, "Takes so much looking after, he does."

"Really. And I guess you're the golden boy in your duo."

Liquid huffed out a soft chuckle, tilting his head to the side so his wet blond hair brushed against Dave's shoulder as he sidled even closer to his twin, "I guess I can be considered less zealous than Mantis. He feels no need to wear a mask, no pun intended. He wears his scorn outside for everyone to see, as you may have noticed."

"Yeah, Hal loved it."

"That man is soft, little wonder Mantis grew irate," Liquid shifted so his elbow was resting on the back of the couch, propping his chin up with his fist. His other hand rested across his lap, fingers shy of brushing against Dave's side.

Dave just gave a noncommittal noise, watching Liquid from the corner of his eye; he'd missed the bloodied scabs freshly decorating Liquid's lips and at the angle Liquid was leaning forward with Dave briefly caught a glimpse of what looked like scratch marks near the upper curve of his shoulder. Dave guessed more of the shallow wounds decorated the clone's back as the familiar smell of blood was catching Dave's attention and making him automatically tense, the ingrained instinct to react to the scent subconsciously rearing its head.

"Hal's soft," Dave finally said after Liquid continued to stare silently at him for nearly a minute straight, "But that doesn't matter. Mantis needs to shut up."

Liquid burst out laughing at that comment, "True, he enjoys talking and certainly won't hesitate to launch into one of his many rants and monologues. You'd be surprised at how silent he was as a child, however."

That dragged Dave's attention away from his gun, turning his head to look at his brother fully. Liquid was disconcertingly close at this point, wet thigh pressed firmly against Dave's own, the elbow resting on the back of the couch only a few inches from the nape of Dave's neck. Liquid had essentially crowded Dave right up against the side of the couch and the brunet felt immensely caged in and on edge. However he kept his features blank and under tight control, knowing that showing any kind of unease around a man like Liquid would no doubt be a very stupid thing to do.

To try and keep Liquid preoccupied- and because he was actually quite curious -Dave asked, "So you two knew each other as kids?"

Liquid nodded, tonguing at his bloodied lower lip and Dave eyed his twin in distaste; he knew the cause of the kind of wounds people would typically get along their lips and it was yet more mental images he didn't want. What Liquid and Mantis got up to with each other in their own time was their business, but he figured being discrete would be a thing with them considering Mantis's antisocial attitude. 

"That we did, meeting as two wayward children with no real sense of direction beyond rage and well...I guess you could say we bonded over mutual loathing and murder," Liquid finally replied after a beat of silence.

"...Okay," Dave didn't know how to respond.

"Oh here we're back with the mumbled one word answers. Why so shy and distant, brother?" Liquid asked, expression coy as he pressed himself firmly against Dave, "After all we shared a womb together at one point, you and I."

"I will die happy if you never say that to me again," Dave tried to lean away but Liquid remained glued up against him. If the man tried to get any closer to him Dave would wager Liquid would end up in his lap.

An unpleasant thought.

Scowling Dave continued to stare evenly at Liquid, who looked immensely entertained. They were nearly nose to nose at this point, close enough Dave could see the flecks of blue within Liquid's green eyes. He wondered if he had green flecks in his blue ones. Liquid's smell clogged Dave's nose, mixing with sterile smell of cleaning solvent and iron. The man smelled like blood and earth and Dave's lips pulled back slightly to bare his teeth.

His grip on his dismantled pistol tightened until his knuckles were white and his nerves, pent up from long stretches of inactivity and sexual frustration, began to jitter furiously as his mind and instincts began to urge him to do _something_ to get Liquid away from him or at least knock that smug look off his face. The blood on Liquid's lips seemed overly bright against his tanned skin and this close Dave could see the faint scars decorating Liquid's familiar features; a slice going through his left eyebrow, a thin curve of scar tissue just below his nostrils, a notch near his jawline.

Before Dave could do something- and he wasn't sure just _what_ he was even going to do -Psycho Mantis suddenly went straight through the cabin wall like a wraith and a loud rasp of breath.

Dave froze, focusing his attention onto Psycho Mantis as the man floated to a halt. As soon as he turned to the point Liquid's face was no longer in his line of sight he felt something wet brush his earlobe along with a disturbing sensation akin to teeth scraping the skin. In an instant Dave jerked an elbow up, intending to catch Liquid in the side but even before he moved Liquid was already off the couch and greeting Mantis in exaggerated tones. Now with his back to Dave, the brunet could see the long claw marks running down Liquid's shoulder blades and Dave glanced at the red lines before raising an eyebrow at the obvious bruising showing on Mantis's pale throat which he knew wasn't there earlier. Anything to take his mind off the wetness on his ear and the goosebumps rippling up his spine.

Mantis muttered something under his breath as he swatted Liquid away; Dave wasn't sure if it was Russian, Czech, or a bastardized mix of both and instead looked away from the two to carefully put his dismantled pistol and bore brush on the arm of the couch. His muscles were twitching at the sudden rush of adrenaline and he had a disturbing suspicious Liquid had _licked_ him moments before and in that moment he wanted to do nothing more than punch Liquid in the face and make him bleed even more.

A snort and Dave looked up, noticing that Mantis and Liquid were now just staring at him- Liquid with his hands on his hips and Mantis hovering a few feet above the ground with his arms crossed. Dave scowled, suddenly defensive under their twin stares; Liquid amused, Mantis scornful. He was already on edge from Liquid's weird behaviour and now he felt like he was being sized up and all his instincts wanted him to do something about it, to stop whatever it was Liquid was testing him for before which now he felt Mantis had egged on for some inane reason.

Then Hal's wavering voice interrupted the rising tension, his obliviousness cutting through the stifling atmosphere as he trotted into the living room from the hallway, saying brightly, "Oh great, you're all here! That's good, because Mei Ling is ready to talk to us about a potential Metal Gear operation she has found out about."

Hal's smile faded as he glanced at the three of them in turn, laptop clutched protectively to his chest as he asked in worried tones, "Is...is everything alright? Are you all okay?"

Dave spoke, voice sounding weirdly dazed, "It's great. We're great. So, what does Mei Ling have for us?"

* * *


	11. Chapter 11

Hal smiled awkwardly at the three, feeling as though he'd inadvertently intruded on a private conversation and suddenly wishing he'd stayed in his room for a few more moments. However Mei Ling's rampant encouragement had made him all but dash into the living room, feeling irrationally excited about the potential mission despite the certain perils of it. He just really wanted to finally be able to have Dave and his brother cooperate- from what Meryl assured him weeks ago from one of her many tales of her adventures in the military, nothing forges friendship and trust like fighting side by side. While he wasn't happy about endangering either of the Snakes, he wasn't completely oblivious to the weird dislike and tension between the two even if it seemed mostly on Dave's end. 

Something which was still apparent when he interrupted whatever had been happening in the living room, with Dave looking severely agitated with a partially dismantled pistol clutched in his hands as he scowled heavily. Hal gave him a bewildered look, unsure what had caused his dark mood and his gaze slid to Mantis and Liquid who seemed more interested in just watching Dave like they were expecting something from him.

Hal, after another moment, decided to ignore the tension and instead set up the laptop on the table, feeling self conscious as three sets of eyes focused on him instead.

"So, this Mei Ling? She's one of yours?" Liquid's voice was curious and Hal glanced over at him and quickly looked away again.

 _Why is he all wet?_ Trying to shove that out of his mind, Hal said, "Yes, she's one of our main intelligence um, gatherers." 

"Really? How so?"

He briefly thought about evading the question but remembered his early admonishment of Dave about trying to lie in the presence of a mind reader, so instead he said, "She's in the military, mainly in weapons development so she hears a lot of things, and can usually root out what's truth and what's rumours before she sends them through to us."

Liquid cocked his head to the side, "That's a dangerous pass time- the military wouldn't hesitate to sentence her to death by firing squad if they caught her."

Hal finished setting up the laptop and turned to Liquid with a frown, "Exactly. But she wanted to meet you- you're our new teammates after all and we can't expect you to trust us if we don't offer it to you first, since we're the ones who sought you out."

"So kind," Mantis spoke that time and Hal got the impression it wasn't a compliment.

"Now now, it's their decision."

Mantis's response was just a hiss and Hal decided to leave the two be as he carefully type in his password and sent off the request for a video chat to Mei Ling's computer. He knew she'd wanted to get ready, citing that she needed to be 'presentable' and had requested he'd give her ten minutes to prepare herself. He figured the twenty minutes was long enough and she was just waiting on his initiation. Still, he felt his fingers shake slightly and he carefully backed up and settled down on the couch next to Dave, who'd gone back to cleaning his pistol with a blank expression. The closed off look upset Hal and he knew from the quick glance Mantis gave him the psychic was aware of his distress but the man made no comment of it. 

Liquid looked unconcerned and leaned back slightly while Mantis just started inspecting his nails. Hal wished he could feel as nonchalant.

Then the screen flickered and with a cheery _beep!_ the call connected and the large screen revealed a familiar face.

Hal was more used to the casual Mei Ling, the one who had video chats with him at three in the morning wearing her Lung dragon patterned pajamas and with her hair a loose mess as she chugged down copious amounts of coffee and talked with him about anime and gaming. The one who joined him playing League of Legends until dawn and had a habit of cursing colourfully in Chinese to gankers or gossiping with him about her workmates.

Now however she was sitting ramrod straight, wearing a neatly pressed black dress suit with her hair pulled back in a tidy pony tail. The backdrop of the room she was in was near spartan, with no flags or photos up on the metal walls and Hal knew she'd chosen a place she was completely sure was secure, along with having no personal affects to display her current location. Despite her calm demeanor Hal knew from the ridged way she held herself Mei Ling was actually immensely nervous and when she smiled it was fairly brittle and he could see her hands were clenched tight around one another on her lap. 

After seeing her hesitate when the video cleared, Hal quickly spoke, "Hi, Mei!"

"Hello," Mei Ling smiled and some of the tenseness left her, "I'm glad you're all here."

Mantis floated closer to the computer, leaning down with his eyes narrowed until the muzzle of his gas mask nearly bumped against the tabletop. It was strange, seeing him twist around in such a manner while casually standing a few feet above the ground.

Mei Ling directed her attention to the psychic, dipping her chin as she said calmly, "I'm Mei Ling, it's a pleasure to met you. Psycho Mantis, I presume?"

"I suppose that's the best I could hope for," Mantis replied, voice cold.

"With what?" Mei Ling asked, features neutral.

"For any kind of riveting response or something committed through your own interest, rather than a dullard sheltered by the military-"

"Oh stop it you," with no regard for his own well being, Liquid strode forward and grabbed Mantis's elbow, pulling the psychic back, "There's no need for that."

"That's what you say."

"And that's what we should. You promised to be nice."

"I said I'd try to be sweet."

"You're not trying that hard and we both know it."

Mei Ling didn't seem bothered by the interruption or Mantis's fairly rude introduction, instead watching the interaction between the two with a hungry stare. Hal couldn't blame her; he'd been much the same the first few days when the two joined them, fascinated by their odd dynamic and camaraderie, of the friendship between two supposed monsters. Though judging by the dried blood on Liquid's back and bruising around Mantis's pale throat he would guess something bad had happened between the two which led to some kind of physical fight.

He hoped it wasn't about the whole incident between him and Mantis that occurred earlier; he didn't want to cause fighting between them because of his stupid behaviour. He made a mental note to try talking to the two later.

"Well we're getting off topic," Liquid stopped his argument with Mantis, instead nudging the psychic to the side and directing his attention back to the computer, "So, you're Mei Ling? One of the little spies for Philanthropy, rootling about in the military."

Mei Ling cleared her throat, obviously caught off guard by Liquid himself but she nonetheless answered "Yes, I'm with the military and I do a lot of the information gathering due to my inside connections."

She sounded so formal and guarded it made Hal feel slightly upset, knowing how often the girl would bemoan to him at how ridged and serious the military could be and how exhausting keeping up such a mask would become. He understood _why_ she was acting like that, but it still upset him to see it.

Liquid meanwhile continued with his questioning, "In the military, hmm? Sounds awfully vague doesn't it? But not matter, I'm more inclined to understand you as an individual, not with all that ridiculous military bravado acting as a cloak."

"Well," Mei Ling shifted slightly, a furrow appearing between her brows, "I've only just met you two; it seems inappropriate to start telling you all about my personal life."

"Ah, you still worry we'll deceive you, leave Philanthropy and track you down to kill you in a horrific way?" Liquid asked. He didn't seem particularly offended by the notion.

Mei Ling didn't even blink, "Hardly, but we haven't survived for so long as an organization that's been classified as a terrorist group by being careless."

"Hm, I can respect that. Carelessness and unwarranted trust has caused the downfall of many people."

"That doesn't mean I don't want to trust either of you," Mei Ling hurriedly corrected, leaning forward slightly, "It just means we should start off slow, like any relationship."

"Well introductions it is, then," Liquid said, spreading his arms slightly and flicking several droplets of water onto the ground, "You obviously know who I am, then, as I would wager you were one of the key members in identifying and tacking me down so I doubt I could contribute much. You, on the other hand, have the advantage in this situation."

A small, pensive frown settled onto Mei Ling's pretty features as she mulled over Liquid's words. Liquid just gazed evenly at her while Mantis hovered behind him like a short-tempered ghost and after a few more moments Mei Ling said, "Well, both my parents are from Guangdong China but I was born and raised in America."

"Truly? What a horrid place to be raised," Liquid said without missing a beat.

Dave abruptly spoke up from the couch, "You were also born there."

"Born, yes. Raised, no. Thankfully so."

Hal didn't say anything as he stepped back a few more feet before sitting down on the couch next to Dave. He felt more steady with Dave so close, and the man's smell was comforting. Dave however continued to clean his pistol even though it was already spotless, brow furrowed as he glared down at the weapon. Hal was momentarily distracted by watching Dave's hands to the point he missed some of the conversation between Liquid and Mei Ling, so when he turned his attention back to them they'd already shifted onto a new topic.

"Actually no," Mei Ling said, "I originally wanted to be a pilot."

Liquid noticeably perked up, "Indeed? Well, it appears we have some middle ground after all-I was part of the British Special Air Service."

"Oh! I remember reading about that!" Mei Ling straightened up with a genuine smile, "You were the youngest person in history to join their ranks, weren't you?"

"Ah, indeed I was," Liquid gave Mei Ling a charming smile and the girl blushed furiously. 

She struggled to regain her composure, awkwardly shuffling a few papers on the desk before asking, "The records apparently say you were, were with them until the Gulf War?" 

"Well, getting captured, tortured and brainwashed gets fairly annoying and certainly brings down even the most loyal disposition. So yes, I didn't return after that."

Mantis butted in, "I'm the one who had to go fetch his useless self, since he was content just sitting around while being tortured."

Liquid rolled his eyes, "Forgive me for not giving you a monthly call. You had your own issues occurring in the FBI anyway."

"Bah!"

"Ah, I'm uh, sorry that happened to you," Mei Ling said hesitantly, her awkwardness coming back full force, "It must have been very difficult for you both, but it's good to see that you've managed to-" 

"I'm not talking to you, girl," Mantis cut her off, voice cold.

"Be nice," Liquid said.

"Oh please," Mantis scoffed, "Like I'm going to let myself be lectured by a twelve year old."

Mei Ling made an indigent noise but thankfully Mantis didn't seem to pick up on it as Liquid responded to his comment, "She's essentially the same age we were when we started everything."

"You know full well our circumstances were completely different- what could a sheltered code monkey understand about warfare? Yet here she is, patronizing us over things she knows nothing about."

"They say wisdom occasionally comes from the mouth of babes."

"Those people are morons."

"True."

"I'm not, I am not twelve!" Mei Ling's offense seemingly won out her desire for an amicable first meeting and her sudden squawk of outrage drew the dual attention of Mantis and Liquid.

"I don't actually care about your physical age," Mantis said. How he managed to portray such utter disgust with a mask covering his entire face was quite impressive to Hal as the man continued in his high pitched voice, "It's your naivety I'm complaining about. You act like a sheltered child, fumbling about with your attempted sympathetic comments."

"Oh..." Judging by Mei Ling's expression she had no idea how to respond. Everyone knew Mantis was speaking the truth to some extent; neither he nor Mei Ling had really seen warfare for themselves. Even when Hal had been prisoner in Zanzibarland he'd been confined to the labs and escorted everywhere he went. He'd never seen people die before him beyond the guards Dave executed and even then it had been over in seconds, with all four of the men dying in a fine red mist from neat holes that suddenly sprouted upon their foreheads.

Those 'clean' deaths had left Hal sick and sobbing; it was nothing compared to those who were forced to live through warfare, who were born into it and suffered from it for lives. Tears stung at Hal's eyes and he swallowed thickly. Judging by the quick look Mantis shot him the psychic was aware of Hal's distress but otherwise he didn't turn his ire on the scientist which was a relief. Last thing he wanted was to burst into tears in front of everyone.

Mei Ling spoke up again, "You may be correct in that regard however I may be young but do not patronize me. We're all part of Philanthropy, so we need to treat each other as equals," by the end a thread of steel had woven itself into her voice while she squared her shoulders.

Liquid stared at her for a long moment, his handsome face completely unreadable. In contrast Mantis scoffed quietly under his breath, rolling his eyes hard enough the irritated gesture was easily portrayed even through the orange lenses of his gas mask.

Then Liquid smiled, dipping his head slightly, "As you say. I meant no offense."

"I did," Mantis snapped.

"Well then you're just rude," Mei Ling said with a huff. Judging by the way Liquid's smile widened he was pleased by her combative response but Hal felt fairly horrified even if a small part of him felt impressed by his friend.

"You can insult me right back if it pleases you," Mantis replied.

"I don't want to! I want us to be friends."

"Go be friends with the fool over there," Mantis said, gesturing towards Hal.

"He's already my friend."

"Good."

"Okay?" Mei Ling looked confused and Hal couldn't blame her. He didn't really understand what Mantis was doing but figured it would be safer to not ask.

There was more silence and when it became apparent neither Liquid nor Mantis would carry on the conversation Mei Ling spoke again, "I think...I think it will take a while for all of us to get used to one another. But we're all on the same team, so we need to at least tolerate one another."

Mantis looked like he was a few seconds away from insulting her again and Hal got the impression he just liked provoking people. That, or he was still in the bad mood Hal had inadvertently shoved him into earlier. Hal started to awkwardly toy with a loose thread on the hem of his sweater, still feeling guilty over the whole incident. He just really wasn't good with people.

"But I do have some more...uh, business orientated questions," Mei Ling continued, voice suddenly heavy with nervousness, "So excuse me, mister Mantis?"

The silence that followed that was even more stifling, Mei Ling looking immensely earnest and unsure, Liquid amused and Dave, who's face shifted into an expression of bafflement before it smoothed out and he directed his attention back to his gun. Mantis meanwhile simply crossed his thin arms, still floating up and down gently.

"I don't need the 'mister' added," Mantis finally said. His tone was neutral and completely unreadable. Considering how he responded to Hal's flattery and praising Hal would've guessed the psychic would've enjoyed Mei Ling's formal address of him.

"Oh," Mei Ling sounded embarrassed but nonetheless continued, "I uh, my apologies. But I need to ask, your...intangibility? That's something you're capable of doing, isn't it? Is that some kind of optical camouflage? Because O- Hal has been working on some stealth suits..."

Even before Mei Ling finished Hal grimaced; he'd completely forgotten to ask Mantis about his ability of invisibility and to see if he could use that to tweak the suits he was experimenting with. Considering the missions and danger of Metal Gear hunting he really should've sorted that technology out by now. He'd just gotten so distracted by everything.

"I do not use technology for that," Mantis answered shortly, "It's another ability from my psychics."

Mei Ling let out a small noise of disappointment but didn't argue, "I guess we can't reverse engineer that."

Liquid laughed abruptly, "Do you see?" he said, "You've already tried to find a way to shift a new discovery to apply it to warfare. Quite pragmatic of you."

"...Science has always thrived on war," Hal added reluctantly, "The greatest weapons of mass destruction were created by scientists who wanted to be famous, to go down in history."

Liquid looked approving of Hal's comment, something softening in his features that made Hal blush, "War does put enormous demand upon a nation's resources- and we all know how greedy those within power are. They covert it and do not appreciate a threat to their status quo. Therefore it is always a certainty that wars will accelerate technological developments into solving specific military needs. During war governments pour a ridiculous amount of resources into research and development of weapons to help them win the wars. War also typically helps green light many projects which would never been entertaining during...peaceful times. The atomic bomb, being the most obvious. World War Two was outstanding in this regard; helping to create technological inventions for warfare at a rate that has never been equaled."

 _The Manhattan Project._ Hal felt uneasy even just thinking about it, knowing that such a horrific weapon was burned into his family's legacy. A sin his grandfather helped unleash on the world. The Snakes weren't the only ones with a bloody family history stained in the lives of innocents; Hal's one simply seemed to be more hands off.

Liquid shrugged, "Even I'm a byproduct of that, what with their obsession with 'Soldier genes' or whatever they called them.

"Never mind that genes don't work that way," Mantis scoffed, derision in his voice, "You cannot breed talent into someone."

"Scientists seem to think they're oh so smart in many respects, while they play the blithering fool in all others," Liquid said.

"Um, well I did think Metal Gear Rex was going to be a nuclear deterrent," Hal couldn't help but add miserably.

With a smirk Liquid made a flourishing gesture at him, "From the mouth of one who lived it. And what of you, Miss Ling, aren't you currently working for the military? How many things have you created, which had helped them kill people more efficiently?"

"That isn't right," Mei Ling protested, straightening up, "It is hardly the inventors fault, the scientists, that their gifts and creations are abused for warfare. It's not right to use force to get someone to do what they don't want to do. That goes for countries too, don't you think? It's not our fault our gifts were abused and we get coerced into it."

"But abused they are, and you continue to create things for the military while knowing full well that's the case," Liquid said.

Mei Ling made a soft, sad noise even as her posture become increasingly defensive and a unhappy curl distorted her mouth. Then Mei Ling swallowed thickly before leaning forward and saying quietly, "There...there is an old Chinese saying: A scholar who cherishes the love of comfort is not fit to be deemed a scholar. Einstein said it another way. He said that only a life lived for others is worth living. That's why I entered MIT instead of Princeton or Vassar like my friends. I wanted to do applied physics, not just theoretical stuff. I wanted to make things for people. The Soliton Radar System or the Codec System...I just wanted to make something that would be useful for people. It was the same for Hal, as well. Before he was stolen away to Zanzibarland by that awful man. He was used like a tool...used to make a horrible killing machine. Maybe it would be better if engineers like us just stopped making things...I don't know."

"That isn't our fault," Hal said, wanting to comfort his friend, "We, we were trying to help. But...but people took our ideas, they perverted them. They manipulated us. Used us, just like you said, Mei."

"Oh don't get me wrong I'm not accusing either of you two of not having good intentions in your technological advancements," Liquid said, smiling at them both in turn, "How about I also choose a saying, Miss Ling? Since we're sharing old proverbs. Mine is 'The road to hell is paved in good intentions'."

"So what? We should just give up and never try to help?" Hal asked, feeling immensely offended.

"No, you dolt," Mantis said, rolling his eyes.

"We can do without the name calling," Mei Ling snapped.

"That's how we were made, through a government sanctioned project urged through the United States government by the Cold War," Liquid said, apparently choosing to ignore the annoyance growing between Mei Ling and Mantis, "Me and my dear _brother_."

Hal had no idea how Liquid managed to make the word sound so weirdly erotic and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He was probably just reading to much into things and he quickly forced his mind away from the more lewd prospects Liquid tone conjured up in his mind. Judging from the sharp look Mantis threw at him he didn't quite succeed but to Hal's relief the psychic didn't say anything.

Liquid however wasn't finished, instead making a sharp movement with his arms as he addressed the room at large, smirk still in place and eyes half lidded as he spoke, "But as you say, surely some good can come from the inventions of war? After all, us Twin Snakes were created through cloning, gene therapy. Because of those experiments from the ever illusive Para-Medic of the Patriots we are far sturdier than the natural born human; we possess enhanced natural abilities and durability,capable of surviving and withstanding physical and mental situations that would cripple the average person. We also have heightened senses, especially in terms of our vision and reaction time," here Liquid shrugged, "Now what if that kind of genetic manipulation was applied to humanity in general? And not just the enhancements; the DNA tweaking could essentially eliminate defects and diseases from the human genetic template. Of course I'll doubt that will happen in the near future. But I suppose people such as yourselves comfort your doubts and fears with those kind of notions coming into effect."

"That's...eloquent," Mei Ling finally said after a moment of silence, looking taken aback. Hal couldn't blame her; Liquid was a far better conversationalist than Dave, who preferred to only speak when it greatly interested him or just keeping it to short sentences.

Meanwhile however the words 'Patriots' niggled inside Hal's mind, like the thread of a dream he couldn't quite recollect. He was positive he'd seen or heard the word somewhere but just didn't know where.

 _Oh well, it's probably not that important,_ he thought.

"You mentioned a Metal Gear," Dave said from his seat on the couch. He'd paused in his ministrations with his pistol and was eyeing Mei Ling with an unreadable expression and Hal got the impression he just wanted the whole thing over with. Hal wanted to touch Dave's shoulder or some other comforting gesture since the soldier was so obviously tense but he would guess Dave wouldn't appreciate such a thing in their current situation so instead Hal just dug his fingers into his knees.

"Oh um right, sorry I got a bit side tracked," Mei Ling shifted before picking up a sheaf of paper on her desk, face serious, "I've heard some whisperings of proposed prototype of a new breed of Metal Gear that has supposedly been brought into development up near Iqaluit, in Nunavut. That's why it's good you're all already in Canada and in your current location it should only take a few days to reach it. I've also found some satellite images of the area surrounding Iqaluit, a few miles off from the city which a fairly large facility has slowly taken shape. Considering the typical weather, I would say the base was established far away enough to avoid undue scrutiny but close enough to quickly bring in supplies."

"Do we know who's behind it?" Hal asked.

Mei Ling made a face, "No, as always the one funding it seems to be split into various groups who make sure to keep their money as hands off as possible."

"I can just rip the answers out of their minds, if I get my hands on anyone there," Mantis offered.

Mei Ling just nodded, a rather false smile on her face; seemingly she wasn't sure what Mantis actually meant and to be honest Hal wasn't either. Quickly frankly he wasn't sure if he wanted to really understand. Dave just seemed to be ignoring the conversation entirely and Hal wanted to pinch him at that point. 

"I...are either of you familiar with Metal Gear?" Mei Ling asked after another pause.

"I've piloted a Metal Gear before," Liquid offered.

There was a beat of silence where all three of them stared at Liquid in confusion; meanwhile Mantis leaned back slightly, scratching at a bare shoulder with a long fingered hand while radiating immense boredom as if he found the whole conversation beneath him.

"Um, you have?" Hal asked dumbly.

Liquid gave him an amused look, "Obviously."

"Why didn't you say anything," Dave snapped, finally looking up from his gun and glaring at his brother.

"You never asked."

Dave looked like he was a few seconds away from chucking his pistol at Liquid's face, so Hal quickly interjected with, "When did this happen? Was it when you were in the military? Who made it? Is it destroyed?"

"Now, now, one at a time," Liquid raised his hands in a placating gesture but Hal would guess from the gleam in his eyes the man was enjoying their reactions, "But to answer your questions- this happened around two decades ago, far before I joined any military organization and your father built it for the Soviets back in the 1980s in Afghanistan. Or he made it for Cipher in later parts, but I'm unsure how much of the knowledge about them still exists. Or were they know as XOF? It's a little muddied and happened so long ago, so forgive me."

Hal suddenly felt cold as he mumbled, "My...father."

"Indeed," Mantis butted in, glee in his high-pitched voice, "Your father built that one we used so long ago, called it _Sahelanthropus_. Fun times, as he created it for the Soviets then when he was...persuaded by Cipher he was to give it to them once it was completed but then Big Boss recruited him. Seems you really are your father's son-" 

"Oh hush Mantis, call off your dogs."

"Why should I? Here I am, trying to help this man learn more about his father and-"

"You want to see him squirm and we all know it," Liquid seemed more amused than anything.

"You must admit it's an audacious coincidence isn't it, though? Both Emmerich's making Metal Gear after being abducted by Big Boss, however this current one was stupid enough to believe it was a deterrent."

"Alright knock it off," Dave snapped, voice cold.

Mantis didn't even pause to breath, "Oh right, you'd defend him, of course _you_ would."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You know _full well_ what I mean."

"So um anyway!" Mei Ling's fairly panicky voice cut in, the girl looking as if she was a few moments away from screaming to stop the increasingly hostile exchange between the two men, "About the Metal Gear! We don't know how long it's been in production but there's been a massive increase in weapon shipments and technological materials being shipped out to that area along with even more petitions and political maneuvers surrounding the pros and cons of Metal Gear which-" 

"Oh so um we'll probably know a lot more when we get there?" Hal quickly threw in as well, feeling the same urge to banish the hostile air, "So I could probably go in there and hack the mainframe; anything digital always leaves a trail and there are always tells of certain people or organizations which would help narrow down whoever is funding the project."

"Or just capture and torture some information out of any hapless scientists or engineers who are undoubtedly at the site," Liquid threw in. 

"No torture," Dave said, still looking aggravated.

Liquid smiled sweetly, the expression looking extremely odd on his handsome features as he answered with a "Gratuitous torture is bad for the soul I'll have you know, so you needn't worry. Mantis will deal with them in a less...messy way."

"That's me, the less painful way," Mantis added.

"So we can do that!" Mei Ling said, still looking on the verge of panic, "We've got enough information and we've dealt with enough Metal Gear so far to know all the flags for such activities; and we tend to get the specifications from the locations themselves, in particular who is funding and approving of the facilities."

"And then you kill them?"

Mei Ling faltered, biting her lower lip before answering carefully, "Not...especially. There's....actually we uh, Hal can elaborate that with you two later."

 _Traitor,_ Hal thought in annoyance, knowing full well what Mei Ling was doing. While it would make sense she wouldn't really want to broach the whole 'no kill' rule with Liquid and Mantis- considering the fairly hostile behaviour she'd witnessed so far - but he was still irritated she was basically throwing him at the wolves, so to speak. He wasn't fool enough to believe those two would be happy with the change. Then again, Dave had been fairly resistant as well but he'd managed to persuade the soldier.

However he still guessed it would be more difficult with those two.

"So you really all do chase ghosts?" Liquid said, crossing his arms, "Well, I guess it's much like us chasing the rumours surrounding that Para-Medic so we could get our hands on her. Ah well, I'll suppose we'll manage. Is that all, Miss Ling?"

She looked momentarily confused, "I...Yes? O-Hal will have all the paper work and files I've scanned and found, but as usual it's fairly scant- I'll be able to help some more when you get to Iqaluit, along with getting codexes but a lot of it we need to feeling out when we're at the reported base of operations. Likewise Hal can-"

"Yes yes, all good," Mantis snapped, "Half the time you don't know what you're doing so you play it by ear."

"Yes, but-" Mei Ling paused, hand flying to her discreet ear piece as her expression became alert. She was silent for a long moment, body tense and unmoving before she quickly spoke, snatching up several sheets of paper and saying, "I have to go, you lot look after yourselves alright? And Psycho Mantis, Liquid Snake? It was um, a pleasure to meet you."

"I'm sure," Liquid's voice was mild.

"Okay, stay safe!" Hal manage to say before Mei Ling severed the connection and the screen went blank.

There was a pause, then Mantis spoke, "What a nice girl."

"Yes, quite nice."

Hal really couldn't tell from either of their tones if they were being sarcastic or not, since the whole meeting with Mei Ling seemed to veer from civil to outright hostile at points. Then again, the two had been fugitives for most of their lives so he could be unfairly judging their social skills.

Meanwhile Mantis and Liquid just exchanged looks before Liquid focused his attention on Hal, who blinked owlishly at the soldier.

"So, what did that young lady mean by your little rules with dealing with Metal Gear manufacturers, on how you'll 'elaborate' to us about it?"

Hal cast a look of mute appeal to Dave but the man in question just shrugged from where he was seated, still cleaning his pistol, "This is your fight, Hal. You talked me into it, you try it with them."

With a huff Hal glance away, fairly irritated he wasn't going to get any help from that front. After a brief moment of internal dithering he got up, trying not to wilt under their dual stares as he crossed the room and shut his laptop before turning and leaning back against the table. Dave had gone back to his gun, focusing so intently on it as if it held all the secrets of the universe. Hal wanted to throw something at him.

"Well?" Liquid raised an eyebrow causing him to jump.

Hal coughed awkwardly before saying, "Oh yes, well actually we...we try not to kill anyone when we're on missions- we do things non-lethally."

A heavy silence followed his statement and Hal's eyes darted nervously between Liquid and Mantis as the two stared at him.

Then Mantis spoke, a flat, "What."


End file.
